Arteta: 'Saka shouldn't expect the referee's protection'

"Obviously Saka is always in the spotlight of the opponent, like Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah or Martin Odegaard," Arteta said on February 24 at a press conference before the match against Leicester. "It's normal for opponents to want to stop creative players. They want these players to limit receiving the ball, occupying and exploiting space. What we have to do is try to do the exact opposite."

In the Arsenal match against Aston Villa 4-2 on February 18, Saka was angry many times when he was subjected to rough tackles. At the end of the first half, the English midfielder also clashed with the Aston Villa players and then lay on the field and needed the care of medical staff at the beginning of the second half. After a few minutes, Saka could continue playing.

According to Arteta, his student can't control what his opponent will do in each moment and wants Saka to be efficient, wise and to protect himself. At the same time, the Spanish coach called on the referee and the VAR team to have more deterrent penalties.

"I'm sure the referees want to protect the players and the game in the best way possible," added Arteta. "Saka is getting a lot of attention from the opponent. We need to keep that in mind as a team and plan to prepare for each game. But surely the referees have to be responsible and have to do well. than his work".

Arteta also emphasizes that Saka also has some responsibility to protect herself. He explained: "He needs to learn when to receive the ball, what to do with it, how to use his body and when to jump to avoid getting on the ball. There's a lot of things we can train but it's clear. Obviously it's difficult to understand what opponents are going to do. Wingers and talented players are fouled, even dangerously tackled, but at the same time, they are an important factor for the club to look forward to. win and that's Saka's role with Arsenal."

In the Premier League this season, Saka has been fouled 40 times - the ninth most, and opponents have received only four yellow cards, which is an average of one for ten fouls against him. Since the start of the 2021-2022 season, the Arsenal winger is fifth in terms of fouls, with 163 times, behind Jordan Ayew (179), John McGinn (184), Jack Grealish (214) and Wilfried Zaha ( 246).

According to Sportmail, Saka reached an agreement to extend with Arsenal until 2028 with a season salary of 12 million USD. The Emirates Stadium owner has "tied" Gabriel Martinelli until 2027 and is in talks with William Saliba - who only has a contract until the summer of 2024. When asked about this information, Arteta replied: "That's what we have to do. , it's our responsibility to keep the best players and have the same goals as the club. That brings stability, continues to grow and becomes a stronger club."