In an explosive outburst that has sent shockwaves through the football world, former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has launched a no-holds-barred assault on Arsenal, branding Mikel Arteta’s billion-pound side as “cheats” who are illegitimately grinding out results with mind-numbingly boring set-piece football. Appearing on talkSPORT’s White & Jordan show, the Nigerian icon held nothing back as he ripped apart Arsenal’s current tactics, claiming the Gunners have ditched flair and creativity in favour of spamming corners like a desperate relegation side — despite splashing out nearly £1 billion on superstar talent.“When I watch Arsenal play right now, they depend solely on corner kicks,” Mikel fumed. “You have spent almost a billion, Mikel Arteta – almost a billion! And you’re telling me the only way to win games is through corner kicks? It’s ridiculous!”
The ex-Chelsea star didn’t stop there. He accused Arteta of sucking the life and soul out of world-class attackers like Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli, turning them into mere set-piece merchants.“The creativity that they have – the potentials – has gone out the window,” he raged. “We don’t see them anymore. The likes of Xhaka or Martinelli, Ødegaard… because they depend solely on corner kicks if they win it.”In the most controversial moment of the interview, Mikel declared he would refuse to recognise Arsenal as Premier League champions even if they clinch the title this season.
“Will you recognise Arsenal as Premier League champions? Not by winning in the way they play right now. No, I wouldn’t. Because for me it’s a cheat. They’ve cheated their way to win in the Premier League. So I wouldn’t recognise them as winners because, for me, it’s illegal the way they’re winning games.”
He went as far as claiming the players themselves would revolt against such soulless tactics if given a voice: “If you were playing Arsenal and asked by Arteta, ‘These are tactics and this is what I would like you to do,’ you’d say, ‘That isn’t my style of football. I cannot do that.’ No!”Mikel pointed to damning evidence from recent matches — including Arsenal racking up 10 corners in one game without scoring, desperately spamming set-pieces as their open-play threat has dried up completely.
Despite sitting top of the Premier League table, Mikel delivered a brutal prediction that will infuriate Gooners everywhere:“If Arsenal wins the Premier League… I think I switch off my phone for like two weeks,” he laughed. But when asked if he still believes they will collapse, the Nigerian fired back without hesitation: “Oh yeah. There’s still time for that. Don’t worry about that.”The fiery comments have exploded across social media, with fans divided between those hailing Mikel as a truth-teller exposing Arsenal’s unsustainable “ugly” football, and others slamming him as a biased Chelsea loyalist.
As the 2025/26 season hurtles towards its climax, Arsenal remain the favourites on paper — but John Obi Mikel has thrown down the gauntlet, insisting their “cheat code” corner obsession will ultimately see them bottle it once again.The football world is now watching. Can Arsenal silence the critics with silverware, or will Obi Mikel’s damning verdict prove painfully prophetic?
