Mikel Arteta has hailed Arsenal ‘gamechanger’ Bukayo Saka following Saturday’s 4-2 victory over Leicester City at the Emirates.
Saka put in an impressive performance against the Foxes with the most chances created, most shots and most completed dribbles of any Arsenal player.
He would’ve bagged an assist, too, but Leandro Trossard’s second goal ended up going down as an own goal instead.
Nonetheless, Arteta heaped praise on Saka after the match when quizzed about the consistency of his corners.
‘That’s not an extra, that’s a gamechanger,’ Arteta said. ‘When he’s there in front of goal and he puts the ball in the back of the net, that’s a game changer.
‘That’s what he needs to do consistently at this level and the others have to do other stuff, I think we generated 17 corners today, we should have scored from others, we need every possible tool to be a threat all the time.’
Meanwhile, Arteta has also passionately defended his friendship with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and has played down any talk of a rift between the pair.
‘I can repeat it very clear, I love Pep, I have admired him since I was 10 years old,’ Arteta added. ‘I respect him profoundly I am so grateful for everything he did for me and continues to do with me, I consider him a friend.
‘I love and I respect every member of the staff there because I worked with them for four years, and when I say I know them, it’s I know how hard they work.
‘I haven’t seen a human being work as hard as Pep, and the coaches and everybody in that football club to be consistently winning, and the reason they are there is because they maintain that hunger and this is exactly what I learn and exactly what I mean.
‘It cannot be any more clear than that. If you want I can repeat it, if someone wants to damage a relationship that’s not in my hands. That feeling is profound, he knows it, the staff know it. I still maintain today with them, with the board, with the ownership, with everybody and if it not it wouldn’t be genuine and it is.
‘If someone wants to play something else for me the sport has to be about that will to win, they have it, I have it, we have it, for sure because we haven’t done it.
‘They have it even if they want it more than anybody else, we have to learn and it has to be inspiring for us and it is for me and that’s what I mean because I have been there. It is remarkable and it’s an incredible achievement because they have that mentality. Hopefully, that is clear. ‘
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