Mkhitaryan slams Arsenal over broken promises prior to Roma move

Henrikh Mkhitaryan appears to have burned his bridges with Arsenal after seriously questioning their treatment of him ahead of his summer transfer to Roma.

Mkhitaryan, signed in a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez from Manchester United in January 2018, only played 53 times for the Gunners, scoring nine goals and assisting 13 others in that time.

And while his move to Roma, who have paid a nominal fee to sign him on loan for the year, does not contain an obligation to buy, it seems the player has donned the Arsenal kit for the last time with widespread reports claiming the Gunners will look to move him on next summer.

The Armenian has previously listed two factors in quitting Arsenal and moving to the Italian capital – but it appears he’s less than happy at the manner in which he was forced out, claiming the Gunners’ treatment of him left a lot to be desired.

“It (the move) just happened,” he told Vivaro News.

“I was also surprised when I got the call from my agent (Mino Raiola) who advised me to move to Rome.

“I didn’t hesitate because I knew I would be more appreciated by Roma than by Arsenal at the time.

“At the beginning of the season they made promises to me, but after two or three weeks everything was different.

“They treated me differently.”

Mkhitaryan has recently been named as Armenia’s Player of the Year for the ninth time in 10 seasons and, taking to Twitter, he outlined his appreciation for the award.

“It is always an honor for me to be voted as My Country’s Player of the Year, for the 9th time now,” he tweeted.

“Thanks to all those who have voted.”

Roma are believed to have paid £2.75m loan fee for the 31-year-old, with his move no doubt being welcomed by former Arsenal star Nigel Winterburn.

“Arsenal should look to sell Mkhitaryan to a European team this transfer window,” Winterburn said in the summer.

“When everyone is back fit for Arsenal, Mkhitaryan is going to struggle to get any game time at all during the season.

“Mkhitaryan looks a frustrated figure, nothing seems to be working out for him on the pitch – his passes are misplaced, his shooting is off and he can’t beat his man.”