“Bukayo Saka Is A Cheat” – Souness

Former Liverpool great Graeme Souness has described Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka as “a cheat,” accusing the England international of diving “all over the place.”

Souness made the claim on Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored programme on Tuesday, following Arsenal’s victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, a match in which Neco Williams received a yellow card for a challenge on Saka that involved minimal contact.

Saka frequently ranks among the Premier League’s most-fouled players, but Souness argued that the Arsenal star exaggerates contact. He also criticised Saka’s teammates for pressuring match officials and trying to influence their decisions.

“Your player Saka engages in diving throughout matches. I prefer not to discuss him. The moment he appears to lose possession, he falls to the ground,” Souness said.

“He simulates a foul. Anyone who simulates a foul in my book would be a cheat.

“He dives when he should be staying on his feet. He’s not alone. So Saka gets tackled, he screams as he’s going down.

“The referee perceives nothing wrong with that, but consider this: he remains on the ground. Furthermore, what is worse, every Arsenal player in the vicinity—all of them—raise their hands and shout foul.

“At that moment, the referee becomes anxious and sounds his whistle despite there being no foul—his initial judgment was accurate.

“Simulation is a form of cheating, yes. But it’s all over football today.

“However, he calls a foul because he is thinking, wait, something is unclear to me here.”