At a Glance:
- Ten Arsenal players have withdrawn from international duty this week.
- This has sparked significant backlash.
- Gabby Agbonlahor thinks all ten of these players should receive a suspension.
Gabby Agbonlahor has hit out at Arsenal players for withdrawing from international duty over the last week, urging the Premier League to implement a rule change which would prevent this from happening in the future.
Ten Gunners players have now left their national team camps, protecting themselves from aggravating injuries they’re carrying. This has sparked backlash against Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, with many accusing these players of ‘faking’ fitness issues to get out of playing international friendlies.
Thomas Tuchel dismissed this discourse, revealing that Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka’s exit from St. George’s Park was a mutual decision between England and the North London club. Despite this, prominent pundits such as Agbonlahor continue to take radical stances to the situation.
Gabby Agbonlahor calls for mass Arsenal suspension after international withdrawals
Arsenal may have lost the Carabao Cup final to Manchester City, although they remain alive on three other fronts. The Gunners could have as many as 15 matches to play between the beginning of April and the end of May, and with that in mind, the club’s medical staff have clearly made an attempt to provide some of their overburdened players with a rest over the international break.
In order to protect key players and ensure they’re ready for the run-in and the World Cup, they’ve withdrawn from competing in inane friendlies. However, not everyone sees this pragmatic medical approach as sensible.
Speaking on talkSPORT, former Aston Villa striker Agbonlahor said the situation ‘doesn’t sit right’ with him, before calling for the Premier League to introduce a rule where players receive a one-match suspension for withdrawing from international duty.
✅ "I'd bring in a new rule…"
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) March 31, 2026
⛔️ "You miss the next league game if you pull out of international duty!"
😡 "It's a mockery for so many players to pull out!"
Gabby says the #AFC stars who withdrew from international duty should be banned for the Gunners' next league game! ❌ pic.twitter.com/P1KDL1TLiK
“(Noni) Madueke, no problem, you pulled out, you got injured against Uruguay, it was quite a hard tackle,” he said.
“I look at players like [Jurrien} Timber, [Eberechi] Eze, [Martin] Odegaard, all pulled out because they didn’t play against Manchester City. Those four players, no problem with it.
“But [Piero] Hincapie, [Bukayo] Saka, [Declan] Rice, Gabriel, [William] Saliba, [Leandro] Trossard, [Martin] Zubimendi had no problems against Manchester City. I just don’t think it’s right.
“If I was part of the Premier League and I was making a decision, I would bring in a new rule, you miss the next Premier League game available if you pull out of international duty. I tell you something, players will stop pulling out.”
Arsenal’s international withdrawal approach should not be criticised
Agbonlahor’s outburst about Arsenal wanting to protect their players is nonsensical. The pundit has conflated the players supposedly neglecting their national team for friendly matches with the fact that the national teams themselves have agreed or even encouraged some of these withdrawals.
Almost every player who has pulled out is guaranteed to be named in their country’s World Cup squad if fit. They know their national team’s system and have little to prove to their coach. Thus, they’d benefit very little from featuring in these friendlies.
5/11/2011 – Starts vs Norwich
— HandofArsenal (@HandofArsenal) March 31, 2026
11/11/2011 – Fabio Capello announces “Gabby” will leave the England camp due to a HAMSTRING injury
21/11/2011 – 6 days later you magically start vs Spurs and lose.
Do you deny these facts? If you have any shred of self respect, explain yourself. https://t.co/IsNVg3lZmZ
Both Arsenal and the respective countries have therefore made the sensible decision to not use them in these meaningless friendlies, and instead give them an extended mid-season rest, which could not just allow them to put more into their club season, but also ensure their long-term durability for this summer’s tournament in North America.
It’s a logical step that protects the physical status of these players and ensures they don’t burn out at such a crucial point in the season, for the sake of a friendly. Advocating for players to be banned for this is a tone deaf response from a former footballer, who should be well aware of the physical strain such a congested fixture schedule has on players.
