Bukayo Saka's Journey: From Injury Setbacks to Elite Status
Bukayo Saka has already built a career on reliability. Five straight seasons in double figures underline that. Twenty goals in 2023-24 pushed him to the edge of the global elite and, for a moment, it looked like Arsenal’s Hale End jewel was about to sit comfortably among the game’s most devastating wide forwards.
Football moved on quickly.
Lamine Yamal exploded onto the scene. Michael Olise rose another level. Vinicius Junior kept bending big nights to his will. While they surged, Saka’s progress stalled, not through any loss of talent, but through the one thing every attacker fears: time spent on the treatment table.
Across the last two seasons, Saka has missed 40 games for club and country. His World Cup campaign in the summer of 2026 never truly caught fire, dragged down by lingering fitness issues. Rhythm went. Confidence took a hit. The numbers stopped climbing.
Now he wants a reset.
As domestic football prepares to restart, there is no sense of panic from those who know Arsenal and know Saka. Former Gunners striker Alan Smith, speaking to GOAL in association with BestBettingSites.co.uk, sees no reason to doubt the winger’s response.
“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.”
For Arsenal, it cannot just be about Saka looking sharp again. They need his goals. They have chosen, at least so far, not to reshape the heart of their attack.
Viktor Gyokeres, the Swedish forward, is heading into his second season at Emirates Stadium after hitting 21 goals in all competitions last term. No new centre-forward has arrived to compete with or replace him. The message is clear: the goals have to be shared, but the existing cast must raise their output.
Smith knows exactly how vital Saka’s contribution is in that equation.
“It is so important that Saka can add more goals to the side,” he said. “Certainly, as well as playing well and creating goals, which he's very good at.”
The spotlight then falls on Gyokeres. Arsenal flirted with the idea of change up front, but for now, he remains the man in possession.
“Gyokeres, I wondered what was going to happen with him this summer,” Smith admitted. “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.
“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.”
That last line hangs over Arsenal’s window. They have been heavily linked with World Cup winner Julian Alvarez, the Argentina international who left Manchester City for Atletico Madrid. So far, talk has stayed as talk. No deal. No new No. 9.
On the flanks, the rumour mill has spun just as hard. Mikel Arteta has been credited with interest in Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola. There were even shock links to Real Madrid superstar Vinicius. Those names speak to ambition, but also to a simple reality: Arsenal want more goals from wide areas, and they want someone to share the load with Saka.
If Barcola, or another winger, walks through the door before the transfer deadline on September 1, Saka’s role will not shrink. It will sharpen. Less burden, more edge. Fewer minutes played through pain, more played at full throttle.
The numbers tell you he’s already elite. The question, as Arsenal chase the final pieces of a title-winning puzzle, is whether a fully fit Saka can start dictating seasons again, not just surviving them.
