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5th January 2024
12:55pm GMT
Chris Sutton has accused Arsenal of "embarrassing" Bukayo Saka after they filed an official complaint to the Premier League.
Saka is one of the most-fouled players in the Premier League this season, with only two more ranked higher than him, and the Gunners have raised this with the PGMOL.
They believe that opposition players are specifically targeting the England international and have called for the first serious challenge on the number seven to be met with an immediate yellow card.
However Sutton feels that this will have a negative impact and isn't something Saka will be pleased about.
"I think Bukayo Saka will be a bit embarrassed about the situation," he said on the It's All Kicking Off Podcast.
"It's a compliment, isn't it, that players want to get close to you and kick you? I don't think Arsenal, I don't know what they're thinking of there and where they're going with that. Ridiculous."
Any hope of Arsenal winning a first Premier League title since 2004 could well depend on if they are able to keep Saka fit.
The youngster has been dealing with an ongoing achilles problem throughout the season and has already missed parts of the current campaign.
Mikel Arteta meanwhile has encouraged him to find ways to avoid being tackled so relentlessly.
He said: "He needs to learn when to take certain balls, what to do with that ball, how to use his body, when to jump. There are a lot of things we can train but obviously it is very difficult to understand what the opponent is going to do.
"Wingers and talented players get kicked and fouled and get the demand to win games and that is the chance he has, that is his role in the team."
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