Arsenal's Perfect Start and Saka Under Fire

Arsenal head to Sunderland on Saturday night with the mood around the club bordering on ominous for their rivals. Three wins from three in the Premier League, a statement victory over Chelsea, and a Champions League campaign opened with three points. The machine is moving.

It’s not flawless. It’s not free of noise. But it’s efficient, relentless and already carrying the weight of title expectations.

Arsenal rolling, chances still flowing

Chelsea were supposed to be a measuring stick. Arsenal treated them like a target.

Last weekend’s win over Mauricio Pochettino’s side underlined why many see Mikel Arteta’s team as serious contenders again. Arsenal controlled long stretches, found big moments when it mattered and made it three league victories from three.

Then came Europe. Arsenal kicked off their Champions League campaign with another win, this time edged by a Martin Odegaard strike. It should have been far more comfortable. They wasted a string of chances, but the pattern was familiar: territorial dominance, waves of pressure, and eventually enough quality to tilt the night their way.

Next up, a very different test. A Saturday night trip to Sunderland, now led by former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka. The hosts have four points from four games and will treat this as a free hit. Arsenal, chasing a fourth straight league win, can’t afford to see it that way.

Saka in the crosshairs

While the team’s results shine, Bukayo Saka has found himself at the centre of a sharp debate.

Jermaine Pennant, the former Arsenal winger, has publicly questioned the England international’s status among the game’s elite. For Pennant, the numbers don’t yet justify the hype.

“If you start touting players as world-class, one of the best wingers in the world or the best winger in the Premier League, then you've got to be in those numbers. I would say it's non-negotiable,” he told GOAL, pointing to Mohamed Salah as the benchmark with “plus 20” goal contributions for nine straight seasons.

Pennant went further, claiming Saka “gets away with murder at times” when his statistics are stacked against the very best wide players in world football, and even those who have previously dominated the Premier League. In his view, Saka can deliver “absolutely stellar performances” but still falls short on pure output when the data is stripped back and compared.

It’s a brutal assessment of a player many Arsenal supporters see as the heartbeat of this side. The scrutiny, though, is a sign of the level Saka is now expected to hit every season.

Arteta stands firm as departures bite back

If Saka is taking heat from outside, Mikel Arteta is absorbing plenty from former players.

The transfer window is closed, but the aftershocks are still rattling through north London. Gabriel Jesus’ move to Barcelona and Gabriel Martinelli’s switch to Al Hilal have both been followed by pointed comments and uncomfortable questions.

Jesus told SportyTV that “out of nowhere they put me to train apart from the group” and claimed “nobody told me nothing” in the build-up to his exit. It painted a picture of a cold goodbye from a club he helped drag back into the Champions League.

Arteta pushed back.

He highlighted Leandro Trossard’s behaviour as a counterpoint, noting the Belgian was in the stands to watch Arsenal beat Chelsea despite being sold to Besiktas in July. For Arteta, that presence reflects the bond the club believes it maintains with those who move on.

He was also quizzed on Ian Wright’s recent comments. The Arsenal legend admitted he felt “uncomfortable” with what he saw as a lack of dialogue around Martinelli’s departure to the Saudi Pro League, suggesting the Brazilian hadn’t been properly engaged before the decision was made.

Arteta insisted that version of events doesn’t tally with his own.

“Very surprised, to be fair, especially because with Gabi [Jesus]. I had an individual talk in the dressing room,” he said. “I don't know what words were said, [but] it's fine. The words that we used were all about gratitude.

“I don't know, it's OK. Sometimes I understand that when you have to deliver bad news, or news that people don't expect, somebody has to be the bad cop. If I have to be, I have to be and I understand.”

It was a clear line in the sand. Arteta accepts he will be painted as the villain at times, but he is not backing away from the decisions he believes keep Arsenal moving forward.

Sunderland, Xhaka and the next statement

So Arsenal travel north with a perfect league record, a winning start in Europe and a manager who has chosen his role in the dressing-room drama: he’ll be the bad cop if it means the standards stay high.

On the opposite bench will be Xhaka, once a lightning rod at the Emirates, now tasked with stopping the team he helped rebuild. Sunderland have only four points from their first four matches, yet this is the kind of stage that can flip a season for a club outside the elite.

For Arsenal, it’s something else entirely. Nights like this decide whether a strong start becomes a genuine title charge or just a fast opening lap.