Arsenal hero Paul Merson has criticised Mikel Arteta for bringing on new signing Jorginho during last weekend's 1-0 loss to Everton.
The Italian central midfielder joined from Chelsea during last month's January transfer window, arriving on an initial 18-month contract that contains an option for the north Londoners to extend the deal by an extra year if they please. The signing was met with a mixed response from Gunners supporters and some, perhaps harshly, criticised him for his debut against the Toffees last week.
Jorginho played just over half an hour at Goodison Park and Sky Sports pundit Merson has now claimed that Arteta shouldn't have brought him on against Sean Dyche's side. Writing for Sportskeeda, Merson said: "I've said it before - you're going to lose football matches. It's about how you respond after you lose.
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"If Arsenal had defeated Everton last week, they would've won the Premier League. They would've gone eight points clear at the top with a game in hand.
"Everton had a lot of energy about them, and I felt sorry for Jorginho the other day. I didn't think it was the right time to bring him on."
Next up for Arsenal is a clash against Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with the Bees in scintillating form - unbeaten across their last nine matches in the league. A win would send the Gunners eight points clear of second-placed Manchester City at the top of the table.
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