Bukayo Saka: Arsenal's Key to Offensive Success

Bukayo Saka has spent the last five seasons living in double figures. Ten goals or more, every year. That kind of reliability usually earns you elite status. At Arsenal, it almost has.

But Saka knows there is another level. He hit 20 goals in 2023-24 and, for a while, looked ready to plant himself firmly among the game’s true superstars. Then came the interruptions. And the comparisons.

Across Europe, wide forwards like Lamine Yamal, Michael Olise and Vinicius Junior are pushing the boundaries of what a winger is supposed to be. They score, they create, they dominate highlight reels. Saka has the talent to sit comfortably in that company, but the last two seasons have not been kind to his body.

Injuries have stripped him of rhythm and momentum, costing him 40 games for club and country. Even his World Cup campaign in the summer of 2026 was shaped by fitness concerns, a tournament played with one eye on what his body would allow.

Now, as domestic football prepares to restart, Arsenal need the full-throttle version of Saka again.

Smith backs Saka to hit former heights

Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith, speaking to GOAL in association with BestBettingSites.co.uk, sees no reason why Saka cannot reignite.

“I don't think there's any reason why he shouldn't return to his best form,” Smith said. “Injuries just can rob you of rhythm and confidence. But if he gets a good period clear of injury now and he can have a good run of games, you'd expect him to come back up to the levels that he was at. No reason why he shouldn't.”

That is the bet Arsenal are effectively making. They have spread the goals around in recent seasons, but the margins at the top of the Premier League and in Europe are brutal. Their star right winger has to be a major source of end product, not just a reliable contributor.

Pressure on Gyokeres, spotlight on the attack

The club have not added a new centre-forward this summer. Instead, they are leaning on continuity. Viktor Gyokeres heads into his second season at Emirates Stadium after scoring 21 goals in all competitions last term.

Smith admits he wondered what might happen with the Swedish striker during the window.

“Gyokeres, I wondered what was going to happen with him this summer. Something still might happen, but it's his second season and he got into the 20s for goals in the first, all in. So that's no mean feat. Maybe he'll step up,” he said.

“I don't think he's going to become a different footballer, a more sophisticated footballer. He is what he is. But maybe his team-mates know a bit more about him now and can service him better. So yeah, keep our eye on that one. But we obviously need a functioning goal scoring centre-forward.”

The message is clear: Arsenal cannot afford to carry passengers in the final third. Gyokeres has to keep scoring. Saka has to add more. The system demands it.

“It is so important that Saka can add more goals to the side,” Smith stressed. “Certainly, as well as playing well and creating goals, which he's very good at.”

Transfer noise and shared responsibility

All of this plays out against a familiar backdrop: transfer speculation. Arsenal have been heavily linked with World Cup winner Julian Alvarez, now at Atletico Madrid after leaving Manchester City. For now, it is only that – a link. No agreement, no deal.

There has also been talk of Mikel Arteta moving for Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, with even shock whispers around Real Madrid star Vinicius. Those names underline the level Arsenal are shopping at, and the standard expected from their wide players.

If Barcola or another winger arrives before the transfer deadline on September 1, Saka may not have to shoulder the burden alone from the flanks. He could share the goals, share the chaos, share the pressure.

But whatever happens in the market, one truth hangs over Arsenal’s season: a fully fit, ruthless Bukayo Saka changes their ceiling. The question now is not whether he can get back to his best, but how quickly he can drag himself – and Arsenal’s attack – back to that 20-goal territory.