Premier League star Michail Antonio calls out “delusional” Arsenal fans
Associated PressWest Ham United striker Michail Antonio has labeled Arsenal fans as “delusional” in a playful dig at the club’s supporters over their new-found confidence under Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal’s improvement on the pitch with Arteta in charge has been seismic since the 41-year-old became head coach of the Gunners back in 2019.
Having finished eighth in Arteta’s first season, Arsenal now sit top of the Premier League and are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Antonio, however, has now admitted that the club’s success has given rise to a false sense of confidence from the team’s fanbase.
Michail Antonio: “Arsenal fans annoy me”
Speaking on the Footballer’s Football Podcast, Antonio made his feelings clear about Arsenal fans.
“My agent is an Arsenal fan, I’ve got a load of family members who are Arsenal fans and I’ve got a lot of friends who are Arsenal fans,” he said.
“They annoy me because as soon as they are tip-toeing close to anything they are the ‘best team in the world’. It’s actually unbelievable how delusional these people are!”
Arsenal’s title charge began to unravel last season after a 2-2 draw with West Ham in April. Even though Antonio’s recollection of the result is inaccurate, the 33-year-old revealed that after the full-time whistle, he had a rather shocking response from his agent.
“Last year when we [West Ham] beat [drew with] Arsenal at home, when they were top of the league, my agent called me up and called me a ‘wasteman’,” Antonio said.
“He said: ‘Why did you have to do this to me?’, I’m like ‘We may get relegated. I have to look after me, bro!’.
“Some of the stuff they [Arsenal fans] say is actually outrageous!”
Arsenal are next in action against Premier League title rivals Man City on March, 31.
A quarter-final clash with Bayern Munich will see them welcome the Bundesliga side to the Emirates Stadium on April, 9 – with fans adamant that they have a unique advantage against the German juggernauts.