Roy Keane names and shames trio who are holding Arsenal back

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta needs to solve the defensive problem of Kieran Tierney, David Luiz and Rob Holding, according to Manchester United great Roy Keane.

The Gunners went down 3-1 to champions Liverpool at Anfield on Monday night.

Alexandre Lacazette gave the north Londoners a 25th-minute lead when capitalising on Andrew Robertson’s mistake. However, Sadio Mane levelled affairs just three minutes later before Robertson atoned for his error, finding the net on 34 minutes.

Reds new boy Diogo Jota rounded off the scoring two minutes from time after coming on as an 80th-minute substitute. On what was his home debut and first Premier League match for the Merseysiders, the 23-year-old Portugal international showed promising signs.

Keane, acting as a pundit for Sky Sports, had plenty to say about both sides after the contest.

The former Republic of Ireland star became embroiled in a spat with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. The German held his ground and forced the outspoken Keane to backtrack on his comments.

However, the Irishman’s assessment of Arsenal’s woes at the back went unchallenged and certainly give the Spanish tactician food for thought.

There is no question that the Emirates outfit have improved with Arteta at the helm. But Keane feels they still have a long way to go – and says the former Gunners midfielder must act to shore up his rearguard.

“There’s no getting away from that but he will still want some improvement,” he told Sky Sports.  “His hands are tied which is a big problem because he still needs a couple more players in.

“We saw again that defensively – I still think David Luiz, Kieran Tierney and Rob Holding, there’s big question marks over them. Luiz still has that mistake in him.”

Arteta needs financial backing

Keane may have pointed to Arsenal’s defence as an area of weakness but it seems as though they are currently looking to improve the midfield. Time is running out, however, with the transfer window due to close next Monday.

A couple of bids have been tabled for Lyon schemer Houssem Aouar but the French club are holding out for more.

 

It is believed Arsenal’s latest bid was £32m – some way short of the £46m the Ligue 1 outfit are reportedly asking for the France Under-21 star.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas labelled the offer as “timid” and the club’s money men will need to dig deep to resurrect that deal.

 

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