Arsenal Prepares for Sunderland as Arteta Responds to Criticism
Arsenal head to Sunderland on Saturday night with a perfect league record, a Champions League win in the bank and a manager who suddenly finds himself on the defensive.
Three from three in the Premier League, an eye-catching dismantling of expected title rivals Chelsea, and a European opener edged thanks to Martin Odegaard’s cool finish. On the pitch, the Gunners look sharp, slick and ominous.
Off it, the noise has been far less comfortable.
Saka under fire
Bukayo Saka, the poster boy of this Arsenal era, has been dragged into an unexpected row over his status among the game’s elite.
Jermaine Pennant, the former Arsenal winger, has dismissed the England international as overrated and argued that the numbers do not justify the hype. In his view, the Hale End graduate’s reputation has run ahead of his end product.
“If you start touting players as world-class, one of the best wingers in the world or the best winger in the Premier League, then you've got to be in those numbers. I would say it's non-negotiable,” Pennant told GOAL.
He pointed straight at Mohamed Salah as the benchmark. Nine years of relentless output. Goal contributions comfortably above 20 season after season. That, Pennant argued, is the standard Saka must hit if he is to be talked about in the same breath.
“I think he [Saka] does get away with a bit of murder at times, the numbers and his stats,” he said. “He can put in some absolutely stellar performances but if you look deep and you start digging deep and you look at his stats, compared to top wingers around the globe and who played in the Premier League as well, they fall quite short.”
It is a harsh reading of a player still in his early 20s, but it underlines the level of expectation now wrapped around Arsenal’s No. 7. Every touch, every assist, every missed chance is being measured against the game’s most ruthless wide forwards.
Arteta embraces the ‘bad cop’ role
While Saka’s contribution is being dissected, Mikel Arteta has been forced to address a very different kind of criticism — from players who have already left.
Gabriel Jesus, now at Barcelona after a deadline-day move, claimed this week that Arsenal abruptly cast him aside. He told SportyTV that “out of nowhere they put me to train apart from the group” and that “nobody told me nothing.”
Arteta did not duck the issue. He accepted that in any painful exit, someone will be painted as the villain.
“Very surprised [to hear], to be fair, especially because with Gabi [Jesus]. I had an individual talk in the dressing room,” Arteta said when asked about the Brazilian’s comments. “I don't know what words were said, [but] it's fine. The words that we used were all about gratitude.
“I don't know, it's OK. Sometimes I understand that when you have to deliver bad news, or news that people don't expect, somebody has to be the bad cop. If I have to be, I have to be and I understand.”
The Arsenal manager also pointed to Leandro Trossard’s recent return as a symbol of how the club tries to treat its former players. Sold to Besiktas in July, Trossard was back in the stands to watch the win over Chelsea, greeted warmly and used by Arteta as an example of the “bond” that remains.
That did not stop another club legend weighing in. Ian Wright admitted he felt “uncomfortable” about what he saw as a lack of communication around Gabriel Martinelli’s move to Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League earlier this month. Arteta was pressed on that too, and again stressed his own version of events and the conversations he says took place.
The message from the dugout is clear: he will carry the blame if he has to, but he will not accept the idea that players were cut loose without a word.
Focus turns back to the pitch
All of this swirls around as Arsenal prepare for a tricky trip to face Granit Xhaka’s Sunderland. The former Gunners midfielder has four points from his first four league games in charge and would relish the chance to bloody his old club’s nose.
Arteta’s side arrive with momentum and a chance to make it four league wins from four. They have already handled Chelsea. They have already navigated the tension of a wasteful but ultimately successful Champions League opener, Odegaard bailing them out after a flurry of missed chances.
Now comes a different kind of test: an away day in the North East, under the lights, with an unbeaten start to protect and the off-field chatter growing louder.
If Arsenal keep winning, the noise around Saka’s numbers and Arteta’s “bad cop” act will fade into the background. If they slip, those questions will only get sharper.
