Weston McKennie's dad has hit back at a fan on Twitter who claimed his son is "nowhere close" to being good enough for Arsenal.
McKennie, 24, is rumoured to be a transfer target for the Gunners. Mikel Arteta is after a new central midfielder and the Juventus star could be available for just £17.5million, according to reports in Italy. He still has two-and-a-half years left on his existing deal.
Juventus may be open to selling some players after being deducted 15 Serie A points for alleged financial irregularities and false accounting, a decision they will appeal. The Italian giants were punished after an investigation by the Italian Football Federation.
The exchange between McKennie's dad John and the fan happened after a Twitter account shared a transfer rumour linking the player with Arsenal. "McKennie is nowhere close to being technically good enough for Arteta's side," wrote the fan in response.
"He doesn't have the creative passing IQ, or the positional IQ. I think [Yunus] Musah is a better American to sign if they want depth for [Granit] Xhaka's position."
Valencia star Musah, 20, is another central midfielder who plays alongside McKennie for the United States. As reported by 90min in December, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are all monitoring Munsah's progress. His existing deal expires in June 2026.
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McKennie's dad could not believe what he was reading on Twitter and hit back at the fan. He replied: "What are you smoking so I can get some! [sic]."
The fan then doubled down on his theory. He replied: "Mr McKennie, I think your son is potentially an elite box-to-box midfielder, but he's not got the passing technique and vision I want in a No.8 at Arsenal for playing/inheriting Xhaka's role. Your son would be phenomenal at Liverpool under [Jurgen] Klopp's system imo [in my opinion]."
McKennie's dad did not respond to the fan's reply, but he was not finished on Twitter. He went on to write: "What everyone forgets is they said the same things [criticism] when he went to Juve. This [is] why I'm glad he doesn't listen to couch pundits!"
Arsenal fans then criticised McKennie's injury record, to which his dad replied: "That's because he doesn't complain about small injuries and goes hard until he absolutely needs medical [attention]! I can appreciate a lad like this on my team!"
McKennie joined Juventus, initially on loan, in August 2020 after a spell with Schalke. The 41-cap international won the Serie A title during his first season in Turin and has made 65 appearances in all competitions, with injuries hampering his progress last season.
As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, four Premier League clubs - Arsenal, Fulham, Bournemouth and Aston Villa and have shown an interest in McKennie, with Juventus wanting an £22m (£17.5m plus add-ons). Borussia Dortmund are also believed to be keen.
