Troy Deeney Criticises £75m Arsenal Signing After Brighton Defeat
Troy Deeney has criticised Arsenal midfielder Bruno Guimaraes following the Gunners’ disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
Speaking as a pundit on talkSPORT, the former Watford striker argued that Mikel Arteta should have substituted Guimaraes at half-time after a below-par performance.
Arsenal struggled to produce their usual level of football on the south coast, with Brighton dominating large periods of the match. Pascal Gross, Charalampos Kostoulas and Chema Andres were all on target as the hosts secured a convincing victory.
Guimaraes, who joined Arsenal for a reported £75 million, was one of the players singled out for criticism after failing to reproduce the impressive display he delivered against Sunderland the previous week.
Deeney was particularly unhappy with the midfielder’s performance and said he should not have remained on the pitch.
However, Guimaraes was eventually replaced by Mikel Merino in the 59th minute.
Deeney also questioned Bukayo Saka’s performance, claiming the Arsenal winger failed to meet the expected standard. Saka was later substituted, with 16-year-old Max Dowman coming on during the closing stages.
The defeat marked Arsenal’s first loss of the season and highlighted their struggles against Brighton’s intense pressing game.
Brighton, meanwhile, continued their excellent start to the campaign. Fabian Hurzeler’s side have now scored 16 goals in their opening five Premier League matches, making them the league’s highest scorers at this stage.
Hurzeler praised his players for their intensity and ability to compete in individual battles, while urging them to remain focused when the Premier League resumes after the international break.
The result also lifted Brighton provisionally into third place in the table, while Arsenal were left to reflect on a frustrating afternoon.
