Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has challenged Bukayo Saka to become more ruthless in front of goal, insisting the winger should be scoring far more frequently despite his importance to the Gunners’ attack.
Saka remains one of Arsenal’s most dangerous attacking players, but Arteta believes the England international has another level to reach when it comes to converting chances. Rather than focusing on a seasonal target, the Spaniard wants his star winger to develop a goalscoring mentality that demands a return in every game.
The statistics highlight why Arteta is pushing for improvement. Across each of the previous two completed seasons, Saka scored just once from inside the six-yard box, an area where the Arsenal boss believes his attacking instincts should produce greater rewards.
The 25-year-old matched that record for the current campaign when he scored the winner against Aston Villa in August. His strike against Coventry City on the opening night of the season, 10 days earlier, came from just outside the six-yard area.
Saka has since had further opportunities from similar positions against Napoli, Sunderland and Leeds United. Had he converted those chances, his tally could have moved beyond the three goals he had scored in Arsenal’s first nine matches.
Arteta is convinced the opportunities will eventually translate into goals, provided his forward maintains the right mentality.
“He could have had another four or five goals by now, easily. But if he continues like that, we know (they’ll come). 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.”
The Arsenal manager’s message is clear: Saka must measure his progress by how frequently he threatens the goal, rather than by chasing a target that can feel distant over the course of a long season.
His evolving role in Arsenal’s attack could also help him achieve that objective. With Kai Havertz sometimes moving out to the right wing, Saka has increasingly occupied central areas, giving him more opportunities to attack the penalty box.
He has also drifted towards the left flank on occasions, combining with Christos Tzolis and presenting opponents with different problems. Such positional flexibility could make Arsenal less predictable while creating more opportunities for Saka to arrive in dangerous scoring positions.
Injuries have also played a part in shaping his responsibilities. Saka has dealt with hamstring and hip problems during the previous two full seasons, while Martin Odegaard, Ben White and Havertz have also spent time on the sidelines.
Those absences contributed to Arsenal becoming more predictable on the right, with Saka frequently operating close to the touchline. Opponents increasingly responded by double-marking and even triple-marking him, limiting his space and making it harder for him to influence games inside the penalty area.
Arteta has previously highlighted the benefits of deploying Saka as a No. 10, explaining how the role allows him to operate closer to goal and exploit spaces that defenders can struggle to track.
“He’s closer to the goal. It’s a bit more difficult for the opponent to get his reference constantly. He can interchange positions with the wide player as well, and he’s so good at picking those spaces. When he’s there, he can really hurt you with the ball.”
Saka’s best goalscoring season came in 2023-24, when he scored 20 goals in all competitions, including 16 in the Premier League. However, his non-penalty expected goals (xG) dropped from 10.8 that season to 6.1 and 6.8 in the following two campaigns.
Those figures help explain Arteta’s demand for greater consistency in front of goal. The manager believes Saka’s movement, positioning and ability to find space should produce more regular scoring opportunities.
“I think the numbers should go to score two or three per game,” Arteta added. “That’s it. That’s the mindset. And then if you score one, so be it; you score two, so be it. Because if you go, ‘Twenty. OK, now we are in October, I still have eight months to score 17 more goals’, that’s not the mindset. That’s not going to take you there.”
With the season still in its early stages, Saka has time to respond to his manager’s challenge. Arsenal already rely heavily on his creativity and attacking influence, but Arteta wants him to add a more consistent goalscoring threat to his game.
The objective is not simply to reach 20 goals again. It is to become a player who approaches every match expecting to score, attacks dangerous spaces more aggressively and punishes opponents whenever opportunities arise.
For Arsenal, a more clinical Saka could prove decisive in their pursuit of silverware. For the winger himself, Arteta’s message represents both a challenge and an opportunity to take his game to another level.
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