Ian Wright reveals his one ‘worry’ about Bukayo Saka at Arsenal

Arsenal great Ian Wright has praised Bukayo Saka for an outstanding start to the season, but says he is ‘worried’ about the number of games the forward plays.

Saka has exploded this season, scoring two goals and providing seven assists as Arsenal sit third in the Premier League table.

Saka is now the leading assist-maker in Europe’s top five leagues, having set up Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli in Arsenal’s dramatic comeback victory over Southampton.

The 23-year-old forward also scored in the Gunners’ 2-0 Champions League triumph against Paris Saint-Germain and will undoubtedly aim to continue his impressive form into the international break with England.

Wright, an ex-Arsenal striker, continues to be impressed with Saka’s performances and is ‘not concerned’ about the repeated comparisons to rival players, with Ally McCoist the latest to dismiss suggestions the winger is ‘world-class’.

However, with games coming thick and fast for Saka, Wright is concerned about the effort the Arsenal player is taking on at such a young age.

‘He’s always being compared to various players and what they’re doing, but his consistency since joining the squad has been great.’ Wright stated on Optus Sport’s The Kelly & Wrighty Show.

‘He now has the most assists in the top five leagues, and people question how good he is.

‘But I’m not too concerned in that regard because, on a regular basis, since he’s been in there, and keep in mind that he’s only 23, he’s still providing top performances in terms of creativity, defensive effort, and everything he does for the club.

‘One thing we’re all concerned about at Arsenal is how many games he plays, and hopefully he doesn’t break down.

‘But when you look at him, he’s doing what we all want him to do, which is why he could be underappreciated.’

Wright added: ‘What’s next for him is certainly to end the season with championships for Arsenal, Champions Leagues, and medals for England.

He has a hallmark move where he cuts inside and curls it in, which opponents cannot stop. He’ll cut inside and play one-twos, and no one can stop him.

‘The essential thing for him is to keep focusing on the wonderful things he does, and he’s clearly added goals to his game, as well as that defensive side, because Arsenal is trying to be a little more defensive and hang on to what they’ve had to some extent.

‘But he does whatever he is asked to do, and he does it well.’
Arsenal had to dig deep to defeat Southampton last weekend, and Wright feels the Gunners will need to channel that same battling spirit if they are to keep up with Manchester City and Liverpool this season.Wright expressed his dissatisfaction with the ‘world-class’ argument that seemed to follow Saka around, calling it a ‘clickbait type of talk’.

‘That is the issue [with the ‘world-class’ discussion]. When you watch the World Cup, this is what you see. He contended that world-class players like as [Zinedine] Zidane, Kaka, and others had won the World Cup.

‘It’s the way people say, “He’s not world-class. He’s not world-class.”

‘This is just a clickbait conversation. It’s really frustrating.

Arsenal had to dig deep to defeat Southampton last weekend, and Wright feels the Gunners will need to rely on the same battling spirit if they are to keep up with Manchester City and Liverpool this season.