Graeme Souness has launched a scathing attack on Bukayo Saka, accusing the Arsenal forward of being 'a cheat' who 'dives all over the place'. The Liverpool legend made the comments on Piers Morgan's Football Uncensored show, in the wake of Arsenal's win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
During the match, Neco Williams was booked for a challenge on Saka despite minimal contact. Saka regularly appears among the Premier League's most-fouled players, but Souness believes the England international is guilty of overreacting. He also criticised Saka's Arsenal teammates for applying pressure on the match officials.
Souness's Accusations
'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,' Souness said on the show. '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. 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.'
Referee Pressure
The 73-year-old claimed the referee 'panics and blows his whistle when it wasn't a foul – his first instinct was the right one'. He added: 'But he blows a foul because he's thinking, wait a minute, something I'm not understanding here.'
Souness also commented on the wider issue of simulation in football: 'Simulation is a form of cheating, yes. But it's all over football today. If you asked 100 people what is it you dislike about the modern game, 50 per cent would say simulation, another 50 per cent would say VAR.'
His comments left host Piers Morgan outraged, though the show's audience did not hear a direct response from Saka or Arsenal.
