Mikel Arteta has declined to respond to Graeme Souness' accusation that Bukayo Saka is a "cheat," stating he is "not going to speak about opinions." The Arsenal manager spoke at a press conference on Tuesday evening, ahead of the Gunners' Champions League clash with Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
Souness' Criticism of Saka
Souness made the remarks during an appearance on Piers Morgan's Football Uncensored programme, where the former Liverpool midfielder branded Saka a diver "when he should be staying on his feet."
He said: "Your man Saka dives all over the place. I don't want to hear about him. The minute he looks like losing possession, he's down. He simulates a foul. Anyone who simulates a foul in my book would be a cheat. He dives when he should be staying on his feet."
Souness added: "He's not alone. So Saka gets tackled, he screams as he's going down. The referee thinks there's nothing in that but wait a minute, he's stayed down. And then worse than that, everyone in the immediate area - all Arsenal players - put their hands up and scream foul. The referee at that point panics and blows his whistle when it wasn't a foul - his first instinct was the right one."
Arteta's Response
Arteta made it clear he has no intention of engaging with the remarks, saying: "I haven't heard it and I'm not going to talk about opinions." When asked whether outside opinions could damage players' reputations, he responded: "I don't know. We are open to opinions. It's part of our job, it's part of our roles and those opinions need to be respected - especially if they are done in a respectful way. And we are here to prove that we belong to this level, to this stage and certainly always have the intention and ambition to improve and be better. That's it."
Upcoming Clash
Saka is widely expected to play a pivotal role as Arsenal take on Bayern Munich on Wednesday evening, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm.
