'BUKAYO IS READY TO GO' BUT, BE WARNED...

STAR BOY IS BACK WITH STRING ATTACHED (KIND OF)

Mikel Arteta loves a little bit of extremely measured press conference drama that absolutely does not feel choreographed. When asked about Sir Saka, he said, “Bukayo is ready to go.”

He beamed. It was joy. This is a man who has toiled through the bleakest of footballing winters, and Bukayo Saka represents the first buds of that oh-so-Instagrammable cherry blossom. Don’t pretend you weren’t sending basic b*tch messages to the group chat.

“Oh my gaaaawd Bukayo, slay”
“All the feels”
“Like, he’s perfect”

I saw them. Maybe I even sent a few. We’re all feeling very Pumpkin Spice Latte season—but, you know, in April.

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As I understand it, Bukayo has had a week with the players, so he should be ready for 20 minutes at the weekend, maybe 30 for the Everton game, and possibly a start against Madrid (dear God, pray).

But we have to be realistic. Saka hasn’t played a single minute of football since late December. The idea that the player we’re going to see over the next three weeks is at the level we remember might be a little fantastical.

Fitness and technique go hand in hand. The fitter the player, the more likely they are to do the things we expect over 90 minutes. But Bukayo won’t have his fitness in place yet. It takes most elite Premier League players around 10 games to get back to full sharpness at the start of a season. Despite the reports, Bukayo is human, and we have to afford him our good graces.

Then there’s the psychological element of the return. This is the first really serious injury he’s suffered. Before this, the things that kept him out were mainly niggles and knocks. This hamstring problem was so bad, it needed surgery. Coming back from those issues, sadly, comes with baggage. Every tweak, twist, and knock has an extra layer of paranoia. Those balls you’d normally stretch for might not look as appetising. There’s a level of trust you have to rebuild with yourself—your natural instinct as a human is to protect the area that’s been damaged.

We might also see extra caution from the player. One of the most impressive things about Saka, for me, is that he’s been very good at taking himself out of action when he doesn’t feel right. We might see more of that over the next few weeks. I hope that’s his mindset, because the last thing we need is him dropping out long-term for a second time in six months.

A Saka at 70% is still better than what we’ve had. Arsenal have lacked a killer over the past few months, which has given teams options against us they haven’t typically had. Now we have a fear factor again. A creator, a finisher, a menace—someone you’d bet your house on to make the right decision if something delicious is presented.

Arteta’s job is to work out how to tune the team to maximise Saka when he’s at peak freshness, because I don’t see him lasting deep into injury time in some of these big games over the next few weeks.

The job of fans is to temper expectation, not to criticise if what we hoped for doesn’t match reality, and to support him—especially if he’s part of a moment we didn’t personally manifest.

The most important thing for Arsenal is to build Saka back slowly, ensure there are no relapses, and have him at his best by season’s end so he can engage in a very clear preseason we’ve got ahead of us.

2025 is a pivotal year for Arsenal. It’s the Phase 5 summer. We’re all excited about what’s to come with new players, but let’s not take our eye off the ball. The biggest job to be done this summer is getting the players we already have into better shape for the new season.

That starts tonight, against a team that’s had far too many good times against us over the past few years.

Right—On the Whistle after the game. It’ll be Matt, Johnny, and Pedro. Sub up if you want the LIVE experience. There’s a special offer running Here: SUBSCRIPTION OFFER

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Enjoy this evening. x