Chris Sutton has become the latest pundit to criticise Mikel Arteta following his touchline antics against Newcastle on Tuesday night.
Arteta protested vehemently after Arsenal's appeal for a penalty against Jacob Murphy's handball was turned down by referee Andy Madley, as the game finished goalless. The Gunners boss berated fourth official Jarred Gillett and clashed with Eddie Howe.
The likes of Alan Shearer and Richard Keys have criticised Arteta for his overzealous appeal, while Ian Wright has defended him. Premier League winner Sutton has now waded in the debate by claiming Arteta acted like a "clown" during Tuesday night's game.
Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Sutton claimed: "There is a fine line between being passionate and a clown, and Mikel Arteta was the latter on Tuesday. It can be entertaining but it can be embarrassing, too... Arteta lost control in stoppage time."
Sutton added: "I can understand getting caught up in the heat of the moment. It happens. You’re angry. You vent. But Arteta was at it all game, protesting against every decision... it’s not a good look when your manager is acting like a clown."
Arteta was clearly frustrated with Madley's performance during his post-match press conference on Tuesday night. The Spaniard told reporters: "There were two penalties. It's very simple. I'm talking about what I've seen. It was two scandalous penalties."
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Arsenal were unlucky not to receive a penalty after Dan Burn grabbed hold of Gabriel Magalhaes' shirt in the box, yet it would've been harsh to penalise Murphy's handball late on. The Newcastle star's arm was not in an unnatural position when the incident happened.
Sutton believes the Gunners should've had a spot kick for Burn's offence but thinks Madley was right not to penalise Murphy. The latter view is supported by Matthew Upson and Gary Neville, with the Manchester United icon claiming it was "never a penalty".
Sutton's "clown" comment comes just a day after former Sky Sports presenter Keys urged the authorities to take action against Arteta. Keys, who now works for beIN Sports, has criticised the Arsenal manager on several occasions this season.
"Seriously - when is someone going to get control of Mikel Arteta?" Keys asked on Twitter. "He's an embarrassment. Totally out of control during games."
Shearer, meanwhile, told Premier League Productions: "I think Mikel Arteta needs to have a word with himself, or his assistant needs to have a word with him and calm him down. I think he’s disrespectful to the opposition and he’s making it very difficult for the referees, who have a hard enough job as it is."
Yet Wright defended Arteta. He added: "He’s so plugged into the game, that’s the way he is. You see some managers like that, like Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola. People are talking about it a lot now, so I’m sure it’s something he will look at. But he’s my manager, so I’m not going to find too much fault in it!"
