After West Ham United’s humiliating 6-0 home loss to Arsenal on Sunday, led by reports Leeds United was interested, Stephen Warnock chastised Ben Johnson.
In his third appearance for the Hammers on Sunday, Phillips was limited to the second half as Mikel Arteta’s team ran wild. On the right side, Declan Rice scored a goal and provided two assists, and Bukayo Saka was unstoppable.
David Moyes deployed defender Johnson on the wing in front of the Arsenal academy product in an attempt to neutralise the threat posed by England star Saka. Emerson Palmieri, the left back, was not as good as him.
However, it was insufficient as Arsenal lost control. Given that Johnson’s contract at West Ham was set to expire in the summer, Leeds was naturally interested in signing him in January. Johnson even received bids from Millwall and Leeds to sign.
West Ham decided to hold onto the England U21 player. During Match of the Day 2, West Ham’s 6-0 defeat was analysed by former Leeds captain Stephen Warnock, who criticised the West Ham player for “schoolboy defending.”
“Arsenal wishes to keep Saka, West Ham’s left, isolated. As a left-back and Emerson, I would be thinking, “Wonderful, you put Ben Johnson in front of me to help me.” He doesn’t assist, though. He was assaulted by the media.
“Reenter, and make sure you’re moving.” However, he left Emerson facing Saka one-on-one. Running with the intention of getting back into position is not possible. Schoolboys are defending. Saka was having fun.
Stephen Warnock criticises Ben Johnson after Leeds United links
Connor Roberts was instead brought in by Leeds on a loan from Burnley. He contributes expertise, experience, and know-how to the process of being promoted from the Championship. Left-back, though, is a little exposed.
Sam Byram and Junior Firpo are Leeds’ options on the left, but it’s unlikely that either player will remain healthy from this point until the end of the campaign. Johnson would have provided defence on all fronts.
But that’s the route Leeds has had to take. Johnson might still be available, but it’s unclear if he would have made a good player for Leeds. However, he didn’t perform as well on Sunday.
Leave a Reply