‘They've become hardened criminals’ — Fans troll Arteta for teaching Arsenal players bad lesson

Arsenal's disciplinary struggles have become a talking point among fans after William Saliba's red card against Bournemouth marked the third sending-off for the Gunners this season.

The French defender's dismissal adds to a growing list of Arsenal players seeing red, and some supporters have humorously blamed manager Mikel Arteta for the team's poor discipline.

William Saliba became the latest Arsenal player to be sent off after bringing down Bournemouth’s Evanilson just 28 minutes into their clash at the Vitality Stadium.

Initially given a yellow card, the decision was upgraded to a red after referee Rob Jones consulted VAR, leaving Arsenal to battle with 10 men for the remainder of the match.

This red card marks the Gunners' third dismissal in just eight games, raising concerns about the team's discipline under pressure.

The first red card of the season came against Brighton when Declan Rice was sent off for a second yellow after delaying a restart.

Leandro Trossard was also controversially sent off in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City after being booked for a similar offence.

In a preseason team-building exercise, Mikel Arteta hired professional pickpockets to steal from his players during a dinner to emphasise the importance of staying alert during matches.

With Arsenal now having gone down to 10 men in three of their first eight Premier League matches, sparking playful accusations that Arteta’s "alert and prepared" mentality may have backfired.

Fans have taken to social media to suggest that the lesson has gone horribly wrong, joking that Arsenal’s players may have learnt some undesirable traits from the experience instead.

With three red cards in just eight games, some supporters have light-heartedly labelled the team "hardened criminals" and linked their lack of discipline to Arteta’s unconventional approach.

Despite the humour, the Gunners will need to address their growing disciplinary issues if they want to maintain their challenge in the Premier League.