When Mikel Arteta says he “fully trusts and loves” Bukayo Saka, he is not just defending a struggling player. He is stating a structural truth: Arsenal have no like-for-like replacement on the right, and the system is built around a winger whose goal output has collapsed. The public backing is as much necessity as loyalty.
Arteta’s Public Trust in Saka Masks Arsenal’s Inability to Rest or Replace Him
In March 2026, after substituting Saka at the hour mark in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen, Arteta told the press that the club “fully trust him and love him” and that what Saka does for the team is “incredible at his age.” According to The New York Times coverage of the same period, Arteta has repeatedly emphasised Saka’s underlying numbers: fifth in the Premier League for expected assists (5.67) and second for chances created from open play (43). The message is consistent: the 24-year-old remains indispensable. What it glosses over is that Saka had gone 13 games without a goal before scoring in the 1-0 win at Brighton in early March, and that his Premier League returns this season (six goals and three assists) put him joint 30th and joint 41st in the division respectively, as reported by the BBC. Arteta can praise the process, but the outcome has forced his hand in big games. Against Leverkusen, Saka completed one of four dribbles and won two of eight duels before being replaced by Noni Madueke, whose direct run won the penalty that salvaged a draw. The Athletic reported that Arteta’s substitution was a bold call that was rewarded. The manager has no credible alternative to starting Saka; his backing is the only viable public line.
The Numbers Show a Winger Who Cannot Be Dropped but Is Not Delivering
Analysts have pointed to a sharp disconnect between Saka’s creative output and his goal involvement. The BBC’s breakdown of the 2025-26 season noted that Saka is still getting into dangerous positions, with around 0.3 expected goals and 0.3 expected assists per 90 minutes, but conversion has collapsed. Across 39 matches in all competitions he had nine goals and seven assists by March, with his goal involvement rate nearly halved compared to the previous campaign, as Sky Sports reported. Alan Shearer has argued that “something has to change” with Saka and that a prolonged goal drought is unacceptable for a player of his quality. The underlying stats nevertheless keep him in the side: key passes, successful dribbles and offensive duels won remain among the best in the league. So Arteta keeps picking him, and when the performance is clearly off, as in Leverkusen, he can only hook him and then double down in public. There is no second right winger of the same profile. Gabriel Martinelli has been injured; Leandro Trossard and others offer different options, not a like-for-like swap. Arsenal’s attack is built around Saka’s ability to hold the width, carry the ball and create. Without a genuine alternative, the manager’s “trust” is as much an admission of dependency as it is of faith.
Why Arteta’s Backing Is Tactical Necessity, Not Just Sentiment
The reasons for Saka’s dip are well documented. The Independent reported that his connection with striker Viktor Gyokeres is weaker than with Kai Havertz the season before: Saka receives about 1.9 passes per game from Gyokeres compared to 5.3 from Havertz, and his penalty-box touches have fallen. Add fixture congestion and the fact that, as The New York Times noted, Saka had already played more minutes this season than in the whole of the previous one, and the picture is of a player who is overused because the squad cannot afford to rest him. Arteta has acknowledged the workload. He has not acknowledged that the system is therefore hostage to one man’s form. Saka himself has brushed off external criticism, telling The Guardian in early March that the team “don’t listen to that stuff” and that winning is the only focus. That mentality helps, but it does not change the fact that Arsenal’s title push depends on a winger who is currently underperforming in the one area that wins games: goals and assists. Arteta’s “we fully trust and love him” is the only message that makes sense when you have no other card to play.
What This Actually Means
Arteta’s public backing of Saka is not a lie, but it is a deflection. He cannot say that Arsenal are one injury or one loss of form away from a crisis on the right, or that the club failed to recruit a credible understudy. So he says he trusts and loves him, points to the underlying numbers, and hopes the goals return. The structural reality is that the attack depends on Saka finding form again precisely because there is no plan B. Until that changes, the manager’s words will keep doing the same job: necessary, and a little too convenient.
Who Is Bukayo Saka?
Bukayo Saka is an English professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Arsenal and the England national team. He joined Arsenal’s Hale End academy at age eight in 2010 and made his first-team debut in November 2018 aged 17. He has since become a cornerstone of Mikel Arteta’s side, winning Arsenal Player of the Season in 2020-21 and 2021-22 and finishing as the club’s top scorer in 2023-24 with 20 goals in all competitions. He signed a long-term contract extension in 2026, committing to the club until 2030. Known for his creativity, dribbling and work rate, he is widely regarded as one of the best wingers in the Premier League when in form.