Arsene Wenger intends to punish Alex Iwobi if newspaper reports about his behaviour on FA Cup weekend are proven true.
The Sun published a story on Monday night in which they reported that Iwobi had been out at a birthday party in the wee hours of Saturday morning, the day prior to Arsenal’s FA Cup clash with Nottingham Forest.
Iwobi played the full 90 minutes of the Gunners’ embarrassing 4-2 defeat to Forest but his performance was widely criticised and now his dedication has been brought into question, with Arsene Wenger adamant that, if the story is proven true, he would punish the winger.
“If that is true he will be fined,” Wenger said during a Tuesday press conference. “It’s impossible to go out 48 hours before the game. It’s unacceptable. I will have to see him.”
Iwobi, the nephew of Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha, has been with Arsenal since he was a schoolboy and made his first-team debut in October 2015.
He has since become a regular under Wenger but, with his recent alleged behaviour, that may be about to change.
“It was not the night before the game. It was 48 hours. But it’s not acceptable, I will speak to him about it,” Wenger added. “When you read what is reported it’s like he has taken drugs, he is not involved in that at all. He was out at a birthday party. I will decide what happens.”
