Arteta reveals new target for Bukayo Saka

​Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has publicly challenged Bukayo Saka to develop a ruthless goalscoring mentality, demanding the winger target multiple goals per game this campaign. 

​Arteta delivered the emphatic assessment during his pre-match press conference ahead of Arsenal's UEFA Champions League league phase clash against Lille.

​When asked if the 25-year-old needed to replicate the 20-goal return he produced during the 2023/24 season, the manager completely rejected the premise of pacing toward a long-term seasonal target.

​"No, I think the numbers should go to score two or three per game," Arteta explained, per Goal. "That's it. That's the mindset. And then if you score one, so be it, you score two, so be it, because he has the ability to score in many ways."

​Arteta argued that calculating the math for a seasonal target limits a player's aggression in individual matches.

​"But normally, if you go to all the attackers, and that's the way, I think you have to attack something," he added. "Because if you go '20, OK, now we are in October, I still have eight months to score 17 more goals.' That's not the mindset, that's not going to take you there."

​The challenge arrived during a period of frustrating inefficiency for the England international.

​Despite helping Arsenal secure the 2025/26 Premier League title last season, Saka has squandered several high-profile chances in recent weeks. 

During Arsenal's 2-1 domestic victory over Leeds United on October 10, the winger failed to convert a late one-on-one opportunity against goalkeeper James Trafford. The blank added to previous misses against Sunderland and Napoli.

​However, Arteta insisted he was encouraged by Saka's underlying positioning, arguing that generating a higher volume of chances will inevitably yield results.

​"That is where we need to get him," Arteta noted regarding Saka's evolving positional play. "If he misses the chance, so be it. At the end, the more volume we generate, the bigger the probability of him scoring more goals. He has been getting in great positions, getting shots, getting one-touch finishes and tap-ins."

​"That is the kind of unpredictability we have with that player, otherwise we know how the opponent is going to defend him," he concluded.

​Saka wasted little time responding to his manager's demands on the pitch. During Arsenal's fixture against Lille at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, October 13, the winger was initially rested on the bench before being introduced in the 64th minute for Noni Madueke.

​Entering a tense match that had just seen Jurriën Timber open the scoring, Saka provided an instant impact. He assisted Eberechi Eze's strike in the 67th minute before finishing a Kai Havertz pass in the 71st minute to seal a dominant 3-0 victory for the reigning Premier League champions.