Arsenal legend David O'Leary has said Bukayo Saka is 'not the player he was' and 'goes down too easily', despite the winger's bright start to the 2026/27 season.
Saka has scored three goals in six appearances for the defending Premier League champions. The England international joined Arsenal's academy at age seven and made his first-team debut in 2018, going on to make over 300 appearances and score 84 goals in all competitions.
Contract questioned
The 25-year-old signed a new contract in February that made him the highest-paid player at the Emirates Stadium. O'Leary, Arsenal's all-time record appearance maker, questioned whether Saka deserves that status.
'I really like the guy but I honestly don't think he's in the best form,' O'Leary told talkSPORT. 'But I do think one thing, seeing him grow up and get into the team before everyone knew how good he was, I think he goes down too much now.'
'He's still a top player'
O'Leary added: 'I think he's looking for that touch to go down and the player I saw before that was much more positive, he was not going to let the full-back put him on the deck, or anybody else.'
'He's not the player that he was, without a doubt. He's still a top player, but is he the player that got this fantastic new contract at Arsenal to make him one of the top-paid players in the country? I don't think so at the moment.'
Arteta's response
Arsenal suffered a 3-0 defeat to Brighton before the international break but responded with a comeback win over Leeds United. After the victory, manager Mikel Arteta said: 'Before the game we talked about two things. One, the challenge ahead because Leeds had not lost in the Premier League and it was going to be really tough. And second one, to restore our identity and be ourselves again, regardless of the context of the match.'
Arteta added: 'We weren't pleased against Brighton and today was an opportunity to put that right. We certainly reacted in the manner we expected.'
