FA looking into suspicious betting pattern involving Arsenal player

The Football Association are looking into a booking picked up by an Arsenal player during a Premier League fixture this season after concerns were raised of suspicious betting patterns.

The Athletic report that bookmakers alerted the FA that a large bet had been placed on the Arsenal player in question during a fixture earlier this campaign, with a number of gambling industry insiders flagging that the pattern of betting around this incident was 'highly unusual'.

The FA is aware of the incident and are examining it, while The Athletic are aware of the identity of the player in question but cannot reveal it yet.

Spot fixing is a rare occurrence in the Premier League, though it is a concern in other sports across the globe. Former Southampton star Matt Le Tissier is one of the more high-profile players to have admitted to spot fixing, revealing in his autobiography that he would attempt to manipulate the betting markets for his own financial benefit.