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Former £25m winger says he was accused of going easy on Arsenal because he supported them
Former Premier League player Yannick Bolasie has now been sharing a story in which he was accused of going easy on Arsenal because he supported them.
Bolasie, who is currently without a club at 34-years-old, amassed 119 appearances in England’s top flight across his career.
A self-confessed Arsenal fan, Bolasie played for a host of top English sides including Crystal Palace, Everton and Aston Villa.
And although his final few years in the top flight perhaps didn’t go to plan, given the extensive injury issues he endured, Bolasie definitely has a story or two to tell.
And having appeared on the ‘’ podcast, the popular winger recalled a story from his days playing under Tony Pulis.
Bolasie played under Pulis at both Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough, the latter being on loan.
And when speaking on the podcast, Bolasie said that Pulis’ assistant coach once accused the winger of being ‘timid’ against Arsenal because he supported them.
Yannick Bolasie accused of going easy on Arsenal in the past because he supported them
Bolasie told a story of how he was perceived to be going soft on the likes of Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla.
He said: “I remember when we lost against Arsenal one of our coaches came in and said he’s an Arsenal supporter so he’s timid.
“He was fuming because he saw I had Mikel Arteta and Cazorla in front of me. I must have ducked past Arteta. And then man had Santi in front and I put the cross in.
“But Tony Pulis went mad. He said ‘why aren’t you going at him, look at your power and strength, go again’. I’m trying to do the right thing! He’s saying no, you need to go by him.
“So the assistant coach goes to him it’s because he supports them he’s a bit timid.”
Of course, it would seem as if Bolaise prevailed as an easy scapegoat against Arsenal on that occasion, simply because he supported them.
But in fairness, it is pretty rare for it to be so publicly known that a player supports a side he regularly faces during his playing days.
But the never hid his support, something the Arsenal fans still appreciate to this day.
All that being said, one former Arsenal player has now been sharing what Martin Odegaard is really like as a captain.