Mikel Arteta visited Nusret Goekce's restaurant while Arsenal trained in warm weather in Dubai. Photo: Twitter/X: Gooner Chris < p>In December 2022, we dared to dream that we were witnessing the latest invasion of football by Nusret Gökçe, the Turkish butcher. This description makes him look like an uncompromising Galatasaray midfielder. In fact, he's better known as Salt Bae, a post-viral irritant who sells overpriced steaks to fools.
Somehow he was present at the on-field celebrations when Argentina won the World Cup, and at some point moment even received this trophy – an honor supposedly reserved for former victors and heads of state. Gökçe, who was later publicly disgraced, said: “I will never step onto the World Cup field again.” However, his mutual romance with sports stars continues.
Mikel Arteta is his latest willing victim. Arsenal are in Dubai warming up over the winter holidays and their manager visited a restaurant where a 300g striploin steak will set you back £115, or £363 if you want to add 100g and a layer of delicious, tasteless gold leaf .
To Arteta's credit, he seems to have resisted the urge to act like a medieval king and eat real gold while peasants starve in their fields. To Arteta's shame, well, more or less everything else:
Boss living his best life in Dubai 🥩 pic.twitter.com/qhUMsphRpu
— Gooner Chris (@ArsenalN7) January 12, 2024
The eerie video shows Gökçe performing his performative slicing procedure, looking like someone slicing meat for the first time, having previously only read about it in books. Arteta indulges him before the unhygienic forearm-salt-fall ritual is carried out by either Arteta's interlocutor or his Goekce subordinate, temporarily relieved from hard work in the salt mines of the Four Seasons Dubai.
Arteta then obligingly leans his head back against the dentist's chair and eats straight from Goekce's fork. None of this is improved by the slow-motion style of the filming or the slight but unmistakable grimace as Arteta tries to endure the food, described in one of the more politely negative online reviews as: “Yes, I can find much juicier steaks elsewhere. ” As expected, many Arsenal fans were shocked, and not just because juicier steaks were available.
Usually, if we criticize Arteta, it is for his behavior on the touchline, sometimes for slippery comments about refereeing standards. When he used words like “disgraceful”, “hurt” and “embarrassed” over a controversial goal against Newcastle in November, Arsenal doubled down and issued a statement in support of their manager. Until now, there have been no similar statements in support of his right to be fed like a young sparrow indoors by a person wearing dark glasses.
It seems curious that a guy as polite and active as Arteta would choose such an obviously tacky restaurant, but there may be some mitigating factors at play. He was probably molested by a family member, and goodness knows, we've all subjected our parents to objectively disgusting culinary experiences. I'm still not sure my father has forgiven me for several trips to the short-lived American restaurant Bromley Yankee Doodles, where children were given crayons to draw on paper tablecloths and adults paid £25 a head for the worst meal of their lives. /p>
However, top-level adult footballers are perpetually susceptible to premium naivety, especially that served up by Gökçe and his 'Gram-friendly food-related content'. The list of players who have posed with Gokce includes David Beckham and Virgil van Dijk, Roberto Mancini and Ashley Young. No one is immune, although Arsenal would like to think they hold their leaders to a higher standard.
The video is not in Arteta's favor
Let's not get too lost in marble halls and Herbert Chapman. Arsenal are also Nicklas Bendtner's club and current away kit, which is a glaring hate crime. No club emerges from the filth of modern football and looks “cooler” than any other in the long term. It's easier to look beyond Arsenal and imagine what other Premier League managers might choose to not only have the Salt Bae experience, but allow themselves to be photographed during it and then eat off the dude's fork.
Well , in fact, you can make a case for the majority. Imagine Sean Dyche in Arteta's shoes and I'd say he'd look a lot more excited, especially if he were given a serving of gilded worms.
Arteta's promise rests on his potential to be a brilliant Pep. Iconic leader of champions in the spirit of Guardiole. Clearly this status is strong enough to withstand the odd bug.
But given his team's form, this video doesn't do him any favors.
A previous version of this article stated that Pep Guardiola would not approach Salt Bae. User X @afcfelix found photographic evidence to the contrary. I regret my mistake and believe in Guardiola's taste in restaurants.
Pep Guardiola (left) pictured with Salt Bae
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