Petit Questions Saka's World Cup Credentials After Sluggish Arsenal Campaign

Emmanuel Petit has launched a stinging critique of Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, suggesting the England winger's current trajectory doesn't warrant a guaranteed starting berth at the World Cup.

Four Gunners players have made the trip to the tournament following their Premier League title success—Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke all heading to football's biggest stage. The prospect of claiming World Cup glory just weeks after domestic dominance would represent something truly special.

While Rice and Saka are widely expected to feature from the off for the Three Lions, the Arsenal legend isn't convinced the latter merits that status. Speaking on talkSPORT, Petit pulled no punches regarding the 24-year-old's recent displays.

"Saka, for me, is not coming out of a good season with Arsenal," Petit declared. "We saw that in the Champions League final. He doesn't make an impact anymore, and I think that there are other players who deserve to be picked in the starting lineup. I'm a huge, huge fan of Saka, but I've got to be honest. If I'm his team-mate, I don't understand it. There are so many strong and talented players who are better than Saka."

The winger's performance in that Champions League final proved particularly underwhelming—his 6.1 FotMob rating marked him as the lowest-rated starter, 0.4 points adrift of the next poorest performer.

Mixed Recent Returns

His output over the past four matches tells a mixed story: a solitary goal and zero assists across all competitions, including a brief 28-minute cameo for England against Costa Rica. Yet rewind to May, and Saka was firing on all cylinders, notching two goals and two assists across four outings—notably including the vital strike in the Champions League semi-final second leg versus Atlético Madrid.

The dip in form, whilst evident, remains relatively recent. Saka's pedigree in major tournaments shouldn't be discounted either. He managed three goals and an assist at the last World Cup, while his Euro record included a quarter-final goal and group-stage assist. At 24, the winger has already collected 49 caps and knows precisely what's required to deliver when the stakes are highest.

Should tournament football arrive, few would back against Saka making a telling contribution.