Paul Merson On Addiction, Arsenal And Regret, 10 Takeaways From The Overlap

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·9 de febrero de 2026

Paul Merson On Addiction, Arsenal And Regret, 10 Takeaways From The Overlap

Paul Merson was the latest guest on the Overlap Podcast.

With two league titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup and a Cup Winners’ Cup medal, as well as appearances at a World Cup and the Euros, that would normally be more than enough content for an interview.

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Yet the Sky pundit is remembered just as much for his battle with addiction and for fighting his demons.

This month he celebrated seven years of sobriety.

That is more important than any trophies or goals.

If the 57 year old can help just one person with his story, then this chat was worth it……

Here are 10 things we learnt when Paul Merson went on the Overlap…

Life In Football And Being Yourself

Just Be You

Having just celebrated his 20 year anniversary working with Sky, Paul Merson has been fortunate, from being a teenager through to the age of 57, to always be able to work in football. One of the few to survive a massive staff turnover on Soccer Saturday a few years ago, he has a strange job every weekend. He is being watched on TV watching football on TV.

With the rise of the internet, the pundit analyst now gets analysed. He explains on the podcast that he gets mocked online for not always pronouncing names correctly. Some on social media are not aware of his dyslexia. Others are aware but simply do not care.

The best advice he has received from his employers, though, was, “Just be you.”

‘Chelsea In My Blood’

With the internet providing content 24 hours a day, seven days a week, many have learnt that Paul Merson has affection for both Arsenal and Chelsea.

You will not find many football fans who like both of those clubs at the same time. In his own words, “Arsenal is in my heart, Chelsea is in my blood.”

Gary Neville seemed shocked to hear that a former Gunner would want Chelsea to win if forced to choose, yet I respect a man for not saying what he feels he has to say.

It is very simple. He fell in love with Arsenal because that is where he played, won trophies and created so many happy memories. Yet should that erase the fact that he was once a child who was obsessed with Chelsea?

When not working, he attends games at Stamford Bridge, but out of respect to Gooners, Chelsea versus Arsenal is a fixture he avoids unless he is working. Sadly, not everyone online is grown up enough to accept he has a connection with both.

Too Obsessed With Stats?

It is becoming a common theme, with ex players complaining about the standard of the sport in 2026. It is easy for Gooners to put this down to pundits having an agenda and wanting to discredit Arsenal potentially winning the title.

Yet here is a former Gunner echoing what so many of his peers are saying. Not enough players take risks on the ball anymore, there is too much sideways passing that goes nowhere, and some players are overly concerned with statistics.

(Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Addiction, Regret And Reflection

Gambling

One of the biggest myths within our fanbase is that, unlike Mikel Arteta, Arsene Wenger walked into a dressing room with a ready made back five.

It is a narrative designed to discredit the Frenchman and excuse our current manager’s early failures. The reality is that our dressing room had long become unprofessional by 1996. Our squad’s ‘Tuesday Club’ had become famous across the country, the day of the week our players would go out drinking.

Paul Merson’s drinking and drug use were so severe that he would stay away, not wanting his teammates to see the true scale of his addiction. Yet playing football was such a comfort that the midfielder was able to stay sober and clean the day before matches.

The one illness he could not control was gambling. On this very podcast, Ian Wright recalls being told before kick off to stay away from Merson because he was in a mood, having lost 36,000 on bets. Looking up and seeing his friend with his ear pressed to the television betting minutes before a match was the moment Wright knew something was wrong.

Drinking

It is common for alcoholics to say this, but perhaps Paul Merson did not accept he was an addict at that stage.

Playing for Arsenal, the midfielder felt he was in control because he could choose not to drink. The issue was that once he had one drink, he lost all control over stopping.

He would promise his wife what time he would be home from a night out, fully intending to keep that promise. One taste of alcohol, though, and he lost all sense of time. He thought he had found a solution by going to the pub in shorts and sandals, believing that no club would let him in dressed like that. Unfortunately, being a young footballer with money often meant bouncers turned a blind eye.

Wanting And Asking For Help

In 1994 Paul Merson finally admitted to himself that he was addicted to alcohol and cocaine and asked for help.

At 25, his nose was showing physical signs of drug use, panic attacks were increasing, he was isolating himself from teammates and losing thousands of pounds a day gambling.

With the support of Arsenal, the FA and the PFA, he was encouraged to enter a three month rehabilitation programme.

When he casually mentioned that he did not want to be away from his children at Christmas, he was told that if he did not spend that Christmas in treatment, it could be his last. That was the moment he realised he was risking his life.

Regrets Leaving Arsenal

Despite Middlesbrough’s relegation from the Premiership, they were willing to offer Paul Merson more money to leave North London. He did not want to leave Highbury but could not ignore the guaranteed income he would be turning down.

Years later, with a better understanding of addiction, he realised this decision was driven by the addict in him. Disgusted that financial greed had motivated him, he felt he had let the child version of Paul Merson down.

Growing up, his dream was to play in an FA Cup Final and appear on television, not to be rich. From that point onwards, he claims he took a pay cut at every club he joined. Sharing a house with Paul Gascoigne probably did not help either.

Feels He Did Not Deserve Caps

For someone capped 21 times by England, it is sad that Paul Merson never seemed to enjoy international football. Many around the table admitted they felt the same.

At international level, he knew he was competing with players who were better than him, so he accepted his role. At club level, he was used to being the main man, trusted to provide flair and creativity.

England had others to do that, which triggered childhood trauma. He again felt shy, isolated and anxious, suffering panic attacks.

Paul Merson The Manager

The biggest regret of his career is his time in management, something he had dreamed of since the age of 28.

Those interviewing tried to reassure him that at least he gave it a go, but his regret is not that he failed at Walsall. It is that he did not give himself the best chance to succeed.

As a player, he could discipline himself to avoid drinking before matches. As a manager, he stood on the touchline drinking vodka from a Lucozade bottle.

Don’t Ban Those With A Gambling Addiction

Paul Merson is well qualified to talk about gambling addiction and to challenge the idea that sufferers can make rational choices.

In recent years, the FA have banned Premier League players for betting on football. Merson asks, “How does that help those in the lower leagues?”

On one hand, players are encouraged to seek help. On the other, the moment they do, they know they will be suspended. Without football as an escape, they may feel even more inclined to gamble.

Can a League One or League Two player with a young family and a mortgage afford to be suspended? Would a club at that level simply release them?

It is a vicious cycle.

You can find the Overlap on YouTube, as cited by the Overlap Podcast.

Dan Smith

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