Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta classily responded to Bukayo Saka ‘cheating’ allegations from Graeme Souness, saying in a presser on Tuesday: “I’m not going to speak about opinions.”
Souness’ words arrived during an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored programme, in which he described Saka as a diver that “should be staying on his feet.”
The former Liverpool skipper told Morgan: “Your man Saka dives all over the place. I don’t want to hear about him… Anyone who simulates a foul, in my book, would be a cheat.”
Mikel Arteta classily replies to ‘cheating’ Bukayo Saka comments made by Graeme Souness
The Scotsman continued: “The minute [Saka] looks like losing possession, he’s down. He simulates a foul… he dives when he should be staying on his feet.
Souness then described how, when Saka is tackled, he “screams as he’s going down” to help convince the referee he’s been fouled. “The referee thinks there’s nothing in that but, wait a minute, he’s stayed down,” said the ex-Liverpool man.
The Scot then turned his attention to the wider Arsenal team, laying into players who rally around Saka in such moments.
“And then, worse than that, everyone in the immediate area - all Arsenal players - put their hands up and scream foul. [So] the referee panics.
“[He] blows his whistle when it wasn’t a foul; his first instinct was the right one. He blows a foul because he’s thinking, ‘Wait a minute, [there’s] something I’m not understanding here.’”
Souness expressed clearly his belief that “simulation is a form of cheating,” then admitted that many players, not just Saka, indulge in such antics.
“If you asked 100 people what it is that you dislike about the modern game, 50 per cent would say simulation, another 50 per cent would say VAR,” concluded the Scotsman.
In turn, Arteta responded classily in a pre-match presser to Souness’ words, claiming: “I haven’t heard it and I’m not going to talk about opinions.
When pressed to say more, and possibly something more concretely against Souness’ claims, the Arsenal boss refused.
“We are open to opinions,” said the Spaniard, classily. “It’s part of our job, it’s part of our roles, and those opinions need to be respected - especially if they are [given] in a respectful way.
“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,” finished Arteta.
The Gunners take on Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening, with Saka, who bagged two goal contributions off the bench in the Champions League last week, expected to take part.
