As they say, it’s a free country and people should be allowed to do whatever they want, providing it’s within the confines of the law. However, many Arsenal fans might think that their players should be keeping themselves out of the spotlight, especially not being pictured in the early hours of Thursday morning with a cigarette dangling out of their mouth.

The Guardian reports that William Gallas was seen wandering out of a London nightclub having a good puff, although Arsene Wenger is staying pretty calm on the matter. Indeed, the Frenchman waxes lyrical about the smoking culture that used to exist in his country, and a player being seen smoking is nothing new.

“First, I have to speak to Gallas,” said Wenger, before his own previous as a smoker came out. “I did smoke but never a lot and never when I played. After, when I became a young coach, I sometimes had one [cigarette] because my assistant was smoking at three o’clock in the morning, when we had lost a big game.

“In France, we all smoke. I have seen buses in France that you would not believe, you do not see each other. When I was a player, nobody would ever tell you that you should not smoke. We were driving home in coaches. You had to open the windows in winter to see each other.”

Arsenal fans, are you in the least bit bothered about this story, or do you think the Gunners captain should be setting a better example? After all, this is a player who has recently confessed that his form isn’t up to much, perhaps he can sacrifice a few late nights and his smoking habit, considering he’s one of the highest-paid players at the club.

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