Saka: Arsenal Not Afraid to State Title Ambitions

Bukayo Saka has stated that he and his fellow Arsenal players are “not scared” to articulate their ambition to win either the Premier League or the Champions League during the current season. Arsenal, known as the Gunners, concluded the previous two domestic seasons as runners-up to Manchester City. As the festive period approaches this year, the team occupies third place in the league standings, trailing the top position by six points. The club participated in the Champions League last season, marking their return after a six-year hiatus, and advanced to the quarter-finals. Four years have passed since Arsenal secured a major trophy, and Saka has expressed his determination to contribute to ending this period during the current season. In an exclusive interview with BBC Sport, he stated, “We’re not scared. The last two seasons we’ve competed for the league and come very close.” He further added, “We’re also back in the Champions League – we have some experience there now – so we feel we’re ready to compete for every trophy.” Saka concluded by saying, “We really want to take that next step and try to win something.” Saka was a member of the Arsenal squad that secured the FA Cup in 2020. However, he has also encountered the disappointment of losing two European Championship finals and finishing as runner-up in the Premier League on two occasions. Reflecting on these experiences, he remarked, “It’s horrible, I’ll be honest.” He continued, “It’s just that extra fuel for me and extra motivation. I want to get it over the line this season and try to lift the trophy, for sure.” He elaborated on the feeling, stating, “You work the whole season and you’re so close, you’ve literally got one hand on the trophy, you’re in the final or you’re right there to win the Premier League, or whatever trophy you’re competing for that season, and then you don’t win it… it’s like the whole year’s work… and nothing to show for it.” Saka concluded his thoughts on the matter by saying, “I know you can be proud of the season and evolution and development, but that’s why more than ever we want to take the next step and win.” Bukayo Saka is currently experiencing an excellent season with Arsenal. At 23 years old, Saka has established himself as a guaranteed starter for both his club and national team. So far this season, he has recorded nine goals and 12 assists across 22 appearances. The Arsenal academy product has previously mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo as one of his idols. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta commented that it would be “positive” if Saka aimed to emulate the career statistics of the Portuguese football icon. Saka stated that recognition from within the football community is “not so important” to him. He explained, “I feel like I know what I want to achieve in the game and people are always going to talk regardless whether I do something or whether I don’t do it.” He added, “Even if we win, people will still talk. So my mentality is just ‘do your thing and live your life’ because people are going to talk regardless.” Arsenal has established a reputation as specialists in set-pieces, having scored 23 goals from corners since the beginning of last season, a tally higher than any other Premier League team. Saka commented, “We’re a top side and we happen to be top at set pieces as well. We have some big players and players who are very hungry to score.” He continued, “I can’t say anything negative about it. So, yeah, let’s just continue scoring set-pieces and hopefully it can bring us more points.” Thomas Tuchel is scheduled to commence his role as England head coach in January, and Saka described the prospect of collaborating with the German coach as “exciting.” Tuchel’s previous achievements include winning the German Cup with Borussia Dortmund and securing two Ligue 1 titles at Paris St-Germain, which encompassed a domestic treble in the 2019-20 season. He took over as Chelsea manager in January 2021, where he led the team to victories in the Champions League, Club World Cup, and Uefa Super Cup. Saka remarked, “He’s a coach who has won in the past. He has top experience, so I think everyone is looking forward to working under him to see if we can continue and to see if we can take the next step there also.” The Three Lions are scheduled for their next matches in March, when they will compete against Albania and Latvia in World Cup qualifiers. Despite reaching a high level in his career, Saka has not overlooked the individuals who supported him throughout his football journey. He recently reconnected with his first coach, Colin Nixon. Saka was six years old when he played under Nixon at Greenford Celtic. Their reunion was facilitated by the Chase football coaching programme, an initiative that assists individuals from low-income backgrounds in pursuing coaching careers by fully funding their qualifications. Saka has dedicated time to support this project and motivate aspiring coaches. He stated, “I think every player you see, most of them had a coach – like Colin, for me – they started with… the coaches that believed in them… that gave them the opportunity.” Saka added, “People like Colin, we value a lot. It was really nice to reunite with him because I did my first session with him about 17 years ago.”