Mikel Arteta Raises Bukayo Saka Target as Arsenal Demand More Goals
Arsenal want more from Bukayo Saka, and Mikel Arteta has made that point with unusual clarity. Three Premier League goals in six games is a decent return. It does not satisfy the manager.
The message is simple. Saka should stop thinking in seasonal totals and start thinking in bursts, in moments, in matches. Arteta laid it out bluntly: “No, I think the numbers should go to score two or three per game,” the Spaniard said.
That sounds extreme until you look at the chances. Saka has already left goals on the pitch this season. He was clean through against Leeds and denied by James Trafford with the last kick. He also passed up major openings against Sunderland and in the Champions League victory over Napoli. The volume is there. The finishing has not always followed.
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Bukayo Saka and Arsenal’s New Demands
Arteta is pushing for a change in mentality, not a cosmetic tweak. He wants elite attackers to think aggressively and constantly. As he put it, “That’s it. That’s the mindset. And then if you score one, so be it, you score two, so be it, because he has the ability to score in many ways.”
There is logic behind it. If a forward sets out to score 20 across a campaign, the target can feel distant, abstract, easy to postpone. Arteta does not want that drift. He explained, “But normally, if you go to all the attackers, and that’s the way, I think you have to attack something. Because if you go ’20, OK, now we are in October, I still have eight months to score 17 more goals.'” Then came the conclusion, “That’s not the mindset, that’s not going to take you there.”
Central Positions Driving Saka Goals
Arsenal have clearly worked on where Saka receives the ball in dangerous areas. The pattern is obvious. More central runs, more six-yard box touches, more one-touch finishes. Less reliance on curling efforts from wide starting positions.
His goal against Coventry came from close range after a parry. The winner against Aston Villa came even nearer, a sharp movement across his defender and a simple finish. For England, the same trend continued against Croatia. One goal from three yards, another from capitalising inside the box after a loose pass.
Arteta sees that as the route to another level. “That is where we need to get him,” he said. “If he misses the chance, so be it. At the end, the more volume we generate, the bigger the probability of him scoring more goals. He has been getting in great positions, getting shots, getting one-touch finishes and tap-ins.”
Why Arteta Believes Bigger Numbers Will Come
This is about unpredictability. Wide forwards become easier to manage when defenders know where the danger starts and ends. Arteta wants Saka arriving anywhere, particularly where goals are cheapest and defenders panic.
“That is the kind of unpredictability we have with that player, otherwise we know how the opponent is going to defend him,” he said. And the manager believes the numbers should already look healthier: “He is doing well. He could have had another four or five goals by now, easily. But if he continues like that, we know [he will score more].”
That is the point. No drama, no overreaction. Saka is playing well, getting chances and moving into better zones. Arsenal now want ruthlessness layered on top. Arteta summed it up cleanly: “When he talks about scoring a certain amount of goals, he needs to be thinking about scoring a certain amount of goals per game. If that shifts, that mentality, he will get into those positions and score more goals.”