Steve Round slams 'rubbish' rumours as former Arsenal assistant opens up on exit

It has since been reported that the signing of Raya, who replaced Aaron Ramsdale arsenic Arsenal’s No1, was a origin successful Round’s departure.

But Round told Footy Accumulators’ No Tippy Tappy Football podcast: “I work a portion astir that and that’s wholly untrue, it’s a load of rubbish.

“There were nary arguments oregon differences of sentiment oregon thing similar that. When I archetypal went successful with Mikel, I said to him, erstwhile the clip is right, I deliberation I’ll request to determination connected erstwhile it suits america both.

“We had a treatment successful that summertime [2023] and we said, I deliberation it’s clip that I went and we were some successful statement with each other.

“I deliberation I needed to measurement distant from it and person a break. I’ve been connected the beforehand enactment for astir 30 years and it was tough.

“And I deliberation helium [Arteta] needed to refresh his unit arsenic good and beforehand a mates of younger coaches. I’d moved much into the method manager sphere, which is what I’m looking astatine close now. So I conscionable felt it was the close time.

“I was arrogant of what we did there, of what we achieved, to spell successful and assistance crook a nine astir that was starting to fail. I helped to rebuild and clasp the civilization that was Arsenal and enactment it backmost connected track.

“I was gutted we didn’t triumph the league that twelvemonth that I near due to the fact that we were truly close. We had a mates of injuries close astatine the extremity which stopped us, and we were coming up against what is arguably the champion squad I’ve ever seen successful the Premier League, and I’ve seen a batch since the aboriginal 90s.

“You look astatine the squad now, there’s men each the mode done the squad who are physical, strong, aggressive, superb connected acceptable pieces. They tin people a wide scope of goals, and I deliberation they’ll propulsion close to the extremity this year.

“I cognize there’s a nine-point spread now, but that tin easy whittle away. If Liverpool suffer [Mohamed] Salah oregon [Virgil] Van Dijk, the full happening tin alteration truly quickly. It volition spell close down to the ligament this season.”