"He is lazy" - Alan Brazil takes shots at Arsenal star and wants Mikel Arteta to replace him 

Former Tottenham Hotspur forward Alan Brazil has criticized Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah for being lazy on the pitch. The Scottish pundit, while admitting that he wants to see the England international do well at the club, insists that his work rate is sub-par.

Brazil said on talkSPORT (as quoted by HITC):

“I want Eddie to do really well. I think he is a bit lazy. Sorry, he is lazy. He is always offside, he is always offside. He doesn’t look across the line.”

Nketiah registered 30 Premier League appearances during the 2022/23 campaign for Arsenal, scoring four goals and providing two assists. He played a big role in the Gunners' emphatic title challenge last season, stepping up into the No.9 role in Gabriel Jesus' absence due to injury.

The Arsenal forward was offside eight times in the English top tier last season (via FootyStats). As Brazil suggests, he has been spotted behind the opponents' defensive line quite often this season.

Nketiah has seen the offside flag being raised four times already this campaign in just eight league encounters. It remains to be seen whether the England international can time his runs better going forward.

Meanwhile, Arsenal find themselves second in the league standings after six wins and two draws this season. The Gunners started the campaign behind title race rivals Manchester City, but have now overcome them.

Mikel Arteta's men completed an important 1-0 victory over the Cityzens in their league encounter on October 8, prior to the ongoing international break. Gabriel Martinelli got on the scoresheet in the 86th minute for Arsenal, securing all three points from the fixture.

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"He does put a shift in" - Kevin Campbell defends Arsenal star amid criticism on social media

Former Arsenal star Kevin Campbell has rushed to Kai Havertz's defense amid massive criticism of the German international's performances on social media. The Englishman insists that fans are exaggerating the forward's poor form at the club and has asked for Havertz to be given more time.

Campbell said (via HITC):

"We want our £65 million player to be ripping it up, but he isn’t, at the moment. Offensively, we aren’t ripping it up, at the moment, so it’s going to take time. It seems like every bad ball he plays gets magnified.

"I have seen people make a lot more mistakes than Havertz and not get called out. That’s the life of a £65 million signing at Arsenal. I have been at the ground. What happens at the ground to what happens on social media is very different."

He added:

"On social media, you would think that Kai Havertz is stinking the place out left, right and center, costing us week in and week out. He’s not. He does put a shift in. He is a continuity player. It’s just taking him longer to settle in what his manager wants him to do.”

Arsenal signed Havertz from Chelsea this summer for £65 million. The German international is yet to impress with his performances at the Emirates this season. He has recorded one goal and assist each in eight Premier League appearances this term.

Havertz also featured in both of Arsenal's UEFA Champions League fixtures this term. However, the former Bayer Leverkusen star failed to register a goal contribution in Europe.