Former Arsenal star Mika Biereth initially enjoyed a brilliant time of things after deciding to leave the Emirates Stadium but he’s found himself in some difficult form with French side Monaco
Mika Biereth has NOT been sanctioned despite the former Arsenal man being hauled off at half-time for new club Monaco. The Danish forward had previously been in sensational form since leaving the Emirates.
He scored 14 goals in 25 games for Sturm Graz after a £4m move to the Austrian side – that form enough to see him seal a stunning switch to Ligue 1 giants Monaco. Biereth continued his hot form at the Stade Louis II.
The 22-year-old plundered 13 goals in just 19 games last season – a record that included three separate hat-tricks. Unfortunately, his form has taken a downturn this season with just one goal in 12 appearances.
That form culminated in Biereth being substituted at half-time as Monaco slipped to a 1-0 defeat to Paris FC over the weekend. And while boss Sébastien Pocognoli revealed he wasn’t blown away by Biereth’s performance, his substitution was not intended as a punishment.
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“It isn’t a sanction because I don’t sanction a player, and I think that Mika gave everything in the first half. But I thought we could look to go in behind more and have more of an impact in the second-half,” Pocognoli said after his side’s defeat.
“He didn’t have the desired impact, but I must admit that, collectively, there wasn’t a lot more happening in the second half.”
Ironically, Biereth was replaced by another former Arsenal forward who is struggling for form. He was taken off for fellow academy graduate Folarin Balogun, who has scored just 15 goals in 59 appearances since joining Monaco permanently in 2023.
Both Biereth and Balogun will certainly be aiming to recover their respective forms over the coming week. Monaco are back in action on Tuesday evening as they travel to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League ahead of a showdown with Lens.
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Speaking previously about his time at Arsenal, Biereth said: “The problem for a lot of children is that they are so programmed to play for Arsenal that when it doesn’t work, they are stuck.
“There are lots of big clubs that play good football, opportunities and different paths. Every player that pulls on an Arsenal shirt wants to succeed there; it is natural. But when you manage to get into this academy, it is anything but a failure.”
Arsenal of course chose to bolster their own attacking options over the summer as they sealed a deal for Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon. He has since scored six goals in 14 appearances in all competitions.
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