TalkSPORT host Adrian Durham has launched an extraordinary attack on Arsenal after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was named the Premier League player of the month for October.
The striker, 29, landed the gong despite starting just one league match last month as he beat competition from Anthony Martial, Ross Barkley, Fernandinho, Matthew Ryan and Callum Wilson.
Durham was furious that Aubameyang got the coveted gong and insisted on the Drivetime show that it was purely because the governing body wanted to take advantage of Arsenal’s vast social media following.
He said: “Arsenal, a club that gets special treatment from the media, gets special treatment from the football authorities like the Premier League.
“They love Arsenal. Why do they love Arsenal? Because they’ve got a big social media following and they can all latch onto it.
“What an odious, obnoxious, offensive football club this is.
“This is a guy who wasn’t good enough to start games for Arsenal. How the hell is he the Premier League Player of the Month?
“Take your Ferrari to wherever they are and hand over the award because you don’t deserve it. It’s a disgrace.”
? “What an odious, obnoxious, offensive football club this is!”
“Only reason Aubameyang is Player of the Month is because he’s at Arsenal.”
? “It’s a DISGRACE!”@talkSPORTDrive launches an amazing rant about Arsenal & Aubameyang ? pic.twitter.com/KxJcYPRLep
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) November 9, 2018
OPINION
Durham is a shock jock who gets airtime because he is loud, opinionated and delivers frothing-at-the-mouth opinions that get listeners to tune in and help build the talkSPORT brand. He may very well be enraged by Aubameyang getting the award, and a few of his points about the player not even being a regular at his club last month are reasonable enough. However, to label Arsenal “odious” and “offensive” is going too far, as is to demean the achievements of the forward (not that he is likely to care in the slightest), who did score five goals from three league games last month and was integral to his side extending their remarkable run. Aubameyang’s achievement is even more laudable because he did not start the two matches in which he netted doubles. Durham failed to point out that the Gabon international was back in the XI against Liverpool last weekend as Unai Emery named his strongest line-up for the marquee fixture. Do your research, Adrian.