Bukayo Saka, the load of expectation and what's changed this season

For six consecutive seasons Bukayo Saka has been the compass by which Arsenal navigate, yet the needle has wobbled of late. A first-half exit in the Champions League last-16 trip to Bayer Leverkusen and a subdued showing in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City have amplified a question few imagined asking two years ago: what happens when the player who rescues the rescue mission needs rescuing himself?

The raw numbers feel unfamiliar: nine goals and five assists across all competitions, a downturn from the double-double campaigns that became his benchmark between 2021 and 2025. His maiden Premier League assist this term did not arrive until match-day 13, the November 30 meeting with Chelsea. Still, deeper metrics portray a creator functioning at elite level: 52 chances fashioned (fifth in the division), 44 from open play (fourth) and an expected-assist tally of 5.76 that ranks sixth, narrowly behind Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki on 6.62. The difference is finishing: Saka has three league assists to Cherki’s eight.

Context, however, is everything. Between the ages of 18 and 22 the winger was among Arsenal’s two most-used outfielders in three of four seasons, a stretch that included a club-record 87 consecutive Premier League appearances from May 2021 to October 2023. A three-month hamstring lay-off last December offered only a brief reprieve; reinforcements have since arrived in Noni Madueke and 16-year-old Max Dowman, allowing Mikel Arteta to rest Saka during congested winter windows. Even so, he has already logged 2,867 minutes this season compared with 2,607 in the previous one.

England head coach Thomas Tuchel, granting Saka and others a delayed arrival at March’s camp, noted the cumulative toll: “More important than the pure number of minutes is that some of these guys have already played more minutes than the whole last season and there is still a lot of football to play.”

Arteta’s tactical evolution has also reshaped Saka’s environment. Once fed by Martin Odegaard and an overlapping Ben White, the 24-year-old is now frequently stationed wide while Jurrien Timber advances inside. Progressive passes to Saka have dipped from 16 per game in 2022-24 to 11 this season; he is receiving static on the touchline rather than in motion between the lines. A brief experiment as a central No. 10 against Wigan Athletic in February yielded four goals and Arteta’s approval—“closer to the goal…he can interchange positions with the wide player.”

Yet for every subdued half at Wembley there is a reminder of influence: Saka opened scoring in victories at Wolves and Brighton, became the first player to record 40+ chances created and 40+ take-ons this Premier League campaign, and ranks alongside Jeremy Doku, Elliot Anderson and Pedro Neto as the league’s most persistent dual threat.

The conversation, then, is less about decline than sustainability. After years of carrying Arsenal’s creative and emotional freight, Saka is finally receiving structural help; whether it arrives in time to shape a spring of silverware may determine how this defining season is remembered. As Arteta insisted: “When you look at his strength and the impact he has on the team, it’s just incredible.” The load has not lightened, but for the first time in years, it is being shared.