Piers Morgan issues Cristiano Ronaldo to Arsenal plea as he calls out Mikel Arteta

Arsenal fan Piers Morgan has again argued his club need Cristiano Ronaldo after their Premier League title hopes were dealt a huge blow by Aston Villa on Sunday. Liverpool’s home defeat to Crystal Palace seemingly handed the initiative to the Gunners, only for Mikel Arteta’s side to capitulate themselves at the Emirates as Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins struck late to give the visitors a 2-0 win.

And following the defeat, Arsenal’s perceived lack of firepower was again in the spotlight. Striker Gabriel Jesus missed three chances and delivered an erratic display, while Kai Havertz was also wasteful in front of goal as the hosts dominated the first half to no avail.

It leaves Manchester City as the new leaders, two points clear of Arsenal and Liverpool, and TV presenter Morgan was his usual outspoken self on social media afterwards. "Arsenal's lack of a proper striker has come back to haunt us,” he posted on X.

"So many chances in first half, but none taken. If Watkins was playing for us, we'd have won this 3-0. Arteta's refusal to prioritise a top striker is his one major blindspot."

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When followers tried to goad the 59-year-old by asking if he would again be calling his friend Ronaldo, Morgan reiterated his previously held view that the Portuguese icon would excel in an Arsenal shirt. "I think @Cristiano would score 25+ goals a season in our team with the service he'd get,” he added.

Despite being 39, Ronaldo has scored a remarkable 56 goals in 62 games for Al-Nassr since his huge money move to the Saudi Pro League in January 2023. And he leads the top-flight scoring charts this season with 29, ahead of the likes of Karim Benzema and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

It was Morgan’s interview with the former Real Madrid star in late 2022 that inadvertently ended his second stint with Manchester United, with Ronaldo scathingly critical of club owners and manager Erik ten Hag. And it wasn’t just Arsenal who the TalkTV host argued needed his friend this weekend, taking aim at Ten Hag after United’s fortuitous draw at Bournemouth on Saturday.

“I wonder if he’s still ‘sleeping well’ about the way he drove @Cristiano out of the club,” he wrote, sharing a clip of a frustrated Ten Hag storming out of his post-match press conference. “Given everything Ronaldo said about him and the way United is now run has proven to be correct…”

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored 18 Premier League goals on his first season back at Old Trafford in 2021/22, finishing as the club’s top scorer. But the arrival of the Dutch manager promoted a fallout, with the player used sparingly before his explosive Piers Morgan: Uncensored segment.