-
Bukayo Saka agonises over ‘what could have been’ for Arsenal after title collapse – but vows the squad is still hungry for trophies.
Despite acknowledging that “it really hurts” following Arsenal’s title loss, Bukayo Saka claimed that the team is still trophy-hungry.
The Gunners had a record-long lead in the title battle for 248 days, but a decline in performance toward the close of the year allowed Manchester City to regain lost ground and take the Premier League title.
They have only won twice in their previous five games, including a 4-1 loss to Champions City, which may be seen as the icing on the cake for them. Saka has since acknowledged that the manner Arsenal’s push was thwarted was difficult, but he has also promised to work with the team to achieve success moving forward.
“We’re going in the right direction, like this (moving his hand to signify an upward curve). I have seen a lot of change [over the years]. Obviously speaking about this season, it hurts a lot. It really hurts so much to even think about how we’ve ended this season and what could have been. But one thing I can say is, like you said, since the last two or three years that I’ve been playing, I’ve seen this team and the club grow,” he said in a sit-down with former Gunners striker Ian Wright.
“Time is on our side. You can look at our team and a lot of the players are young. We’re hungry, and a lot of us haven’t won trophies at Arsenal so we want to achieve big things. If you watch the way we all speak, we want to win and we want to win here.”
Saka, who on Tuesday signed a contract extension, has been in outstanding form for the majority of the season, tallying 13 goals and dishing out 11 assists, which has frequently led to brutal treatment from opposing defenders.
He emphasized that he is “fine” and has what it takes to handle the division’s toughness, though.
“Listen, I’m fine. I don’t think you really need to worry about me. I think I have everything in place to be healthy, be on the pitch week in, week out. I’ve been able to play every game this season despite all the games and tackles, and so on and so forth,” he added.
Saka will be in action in the final domestic game of the season on Saturday when the Gunners welcome Wolves to the Emirates Stadium.