Bukayo Saka is a "cheat" who "dives when he should be staying on his feet". That is the assessment of Liverpool legend Graeme Souness, who has accused the Arsenal forward of "simulation" and deceiving referees without actually being fouled.
Souness unleashed the damning verdict during a fiery appearance on Piers Morgan's 'Football Uncensored,' arguing that Saka hits the turf too readily and that Arsenal players exert pressure on officials to sway their calls.
The ex-Liverpool captain contended that the England international — currently the second-most fouled player in the Premier League this season with 21 fouls, behind Elliot Anderson's 23 — should remain upright rather than embellish contact, via The Mirror.
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Saka previously drew scrutiny during a UEFA Champions League quarter-final match against Bayern Munich in 2024, when he went to ground after contact from Manuel Neuer, only for referee Glenn Nyberg to dismiss the appeals.
The latest controversy erupted following Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with Saka again accused of diving — a charge that left Gunners supporter Morgan furious and prompted Souness to launch his attack.
"Your man Saka dives all over the place. I don't want to hear about him. The minute he looks like losing possession, he's down," Souness said. "He simulates a foul. Anyone who simulates a foul in my book would be a cheat.
"He dives when he should be staying on his feet. He's not alone. So Saka gets tackled, he screams as he's going down. The referee thinks there's nothing in that, but wait a minute, he's stayed down. And then worse than that, everyone in the immediate area - all Arsenal players - put their hands up and scream foul.
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"The referee at that point panics and blows his whistle when it wasn't a foul - his first instinct was the right one. But he blows a foul because he's thinking, wait a minute, something I'm not understanding here.
"Simulation is a form of cheating, yes. But it's all over football today. If you asked 100 people what is it you dislike about the modern game, 50 percent would say simulation, another 50 percent would say VAR."
Saka and Arsenal next take to the field when they head to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday. They then face Everton in the Premier League on Saturday before making the trip to Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup three days later.
It's a grueling stretch for the Gunners, who must navigate six additional fixtures in under three weeks before the next international break arrives.