Emmanuel Petit admits he is trying to ‘detach himself’ from Arsenal’s miserable Premier League run

Former Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit admits he has ‘detached’ himself from the club ‘as much as possible’ following their latest slump in form.

The Gunners have endured their worst start to a league season for 46 years, with just 14 points picked up in their first 13 games.

The club did end their rut of four straight Premier League home defeats on Wednesday night by grinding out a 1-1 draw with 10 men against Southampton following Gabriel Magalhaes’ second-half dismissal.

Emmanuel Petit admits he has ‘detached’ himself from Arsenal given their current poor form

Mikel Arteta’s men have made their worst start to a top flight-campaign since 1974-75

But Mikel Arteta’s side have yet to claim a league victory since beating Manchester United at Old Trafford at the beginning of November, while their winless league run at the Emirates Stadium stretches back to the start of October. 

And 1998 World Cup winner Petit – who claimed a Premier League title and an FA Cup during his three seasons at the club between 1997 and 2000 – admits he has become indifferent towards his ex-club’s mire while questioning the current side’s personality and character.

‘They [Arsenal] are one of the clubs of my heart along with Monaco,’ the former France international told RMC Sport.

The Gunners did end a rut of four straight home league defeats in a draw with Southampton

‘But it has been a few years now where the anger I had has given way to indifference.

‘It’s ok, it is simply the logical response to what has been happening for years now with bad management from the board and bad choices during the transfer periods.

‘More than that, it is the content and image portrayed by this team in terms of personality and character.

‘I try my hardest to detach myself from everything as much as possible to avoid losing my head over it.’

But Petit admits he has taken a step back from their situation because it is a ‘logical response’

This is not the first time the 50-year-old has launched a stinging attack on his former side, after savaging the decision to award defender David Luiz a new deal in the summer and branding the club’s board ‘clueless’ when it comes to the transfer market.

‘David Luiz hasn’t been a proper footballer for about three years,’ Petit told Paddy Power in June.

‘But I’m not surprised that he has been given a new contract at Arsenal, because I’ve been very disappointed in relation to the club’s activity in the transfer market.

The Gunners have not claimed a league win since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty secured a win at Manchester United at the start of November

‘To be honest, it’s a joke. Find some proper defenders. Are you telling me there are no young talented defenders on the market? I just don’t get it.’

‘Does anyone think the Arsenal executives and directors know what they’re doing on the football side of things?

‘For the last few years they have been splashing out on the transfer market – and have brought in some decent players – but I don’t know what their target or project for the future is.’

In June, Petit also criticised the club’s decision to hand defender David Luiz a new contract