Manchester United great Gary Neville has suggested that Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard is to blame for William Saliba’s sending off in the latest 2-0 league loss to Bournemouth.
Earlier this Saturday (October 19), the Gunners crashed to their first league defeat of the ongoing 2024-25 season. Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert both scored one goal apiece in the second half of the clash.
In the 28th minute of the match at Vitality Stadium, Trossard forced Saliba to make a costly error in his own half. The Belgian mishit a pass and the Frenchman fouled Evanilson, denying a goalscoring chance.
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, Neville claimed that Saliba deserved to be sent off in Arsenal’s recent loss to Andoni Iraola’s outfit. He remarked (h/t The Boot Room):
“I thought it was a right decision in the end. It was a long decision from goal, but the goalkeeper, I think, speaking to Mike about it before actually, once the goalkeeper actually starts to back pedal, there is an acceptance that he is not getting the ball, and then you know that striker is going to get there, so I think that’s the problem.”
Sharing his two cents on Trossard’s pass, Neville concluded:
“I mean, the mistake from Trossard is a bad one. Maybe it hasn’t been talked about enough, the pass back [to Saliba].”
Saliba, who will miss Arsenal’s next league game against Liverpool on October 27, has started all 10 his appearances across competitions this season. The defender has helped his club keep five shutouts.
Following their loss at Bournemouth, Mikel Arteta’s side are currently in third place in the Premier League standings. They are on 17 points from eight league outings, four points behind the Merseyside club.
Arsenal keen to sign 24-year-old striker
According to Caught Offside, Arsenal are hoping to rope in Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic in the future. With the Serb’s deal set to run out in 2026, the Serie A outfit could be forced to sell for £50 million.
Vlahovic, 24, has allegedly been linked with the Gunners since the winter of 2022. He has opened the ongoing campaign on a great note, recording seven goals and one assist in 10 overall club matches.
Arsenal, who are also monitoring Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak, have Kai Havertz as their first-choice number nine. The ex-Chelsea man has scored six goals in 11 games this season.
