Souness brands Saka a 'cheat' who 'dives all over the place'

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Graeme Souness has launched a scathing attack on Bukayo Saka, accusing the Arsenal winger of simulation and branding him a “cheat” following the Gunners’ 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

The Liverpool legend made the comments during an appearance on Piers Morgan’s Football Uncensored, where he argued that Saka goes down too easily under pressure and that Arsenal players collectively influence referees by appealing en masse.

“Your man Saka dives all over the place. I don’t want to hear about him. The minute he looks like losing possession, he’s down,” 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.”

Souness went further, describing a pattern he believes unfolds when Saka is challenged. “He’s not alone. So Saka gets tackled, he screams as he’s going down. The referee thinks there’s nothing in that but wait a minute, he’s stayed down. And then worse than that, everyone in the immediate area, all Arsenal players, put their hands up and scream foul.”

“The referee at that point panics and blows his whistle when it wasn’t a foul, his first instinct was the right one. But he blows a foul because he’s thinking, wait a minute, something I’m not understanding here.”

Not the first time Saka's been questioned

This is not the first time Saka has faced accusations of exaggerating contact. During Arsenal’s Champions League quarter final against Bayern Munich in 2024, he went down after contact from Manuel Neuer, only for referee Glenn Nyberg to wave away the appeals.

Statistically, Saka has been on the receiving end of plenty of attention from opposition defenders this season. He is the second most fouled player in the Premier League with 21 fouls suffered, behind only Elliot Anderson’s 23.

Souness also widened his criticism to the state of the modern game, suggesting simulation has become as big an issue for fans as VAR itself. “Simulation is a form of cheating, yes. But it’s all over football today. If you asked 100 people what is it you dislike about the modern game, 50 per cent would say simulation, another 50 per cent would say VAR.”

The comments, first reported by the Mirror, sparked a heated exchange with host Piers Morgan, a vocal Arsenal supporter, during the broadcast.

Busy schedule ahead

Saka and Arsenal turn their attention to Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, before a Premier League trip to face Everton on Saturday and a Carabao Cup tie at Fleetwood Town three days later. It is a demanding run of six matches in under three weeks before the next international break, with Saka likely to remain a focal point of debate given his importance to Mikel Arteta’s attack.