O’Leary, while admitting that Saka is still a top player, insisted he must up his game to merit his current wage.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Irish pundit and former Arsenal central defender David O’Leary has said Bukayo Saka does not merit being the highest-paid player at his former club based on his current form.
He queried the right-winger’s status as the highest-paid player at the North London club while speaking on talkSPORT recently.
Saka has been one of Arsenal’s most influential players in recent years and signed a new contract, making him the club’s highest-paid player.
Reacting to the England international’s performance during the Gunners’ 2-1 comeback win over visiting Leeds at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, O’Leary noted that he is no longer performing at the level he had previously reached.
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While admitting that Saka is still a top player, the Arsenal legend argued that the 25-year-old will need to up his game to merit his current wage.
“I really like the guy [Saka], but I honestly don’t think he is in the best form,” O’Leary said.
He added: “He is not the player that he was, without a doubt. He is still a top player, but is he the player who got this fantastic new contract at Arsenal to make him one of the top-paid players in the country? I don’t think so at the moment.”
Saka will be hoping to respond to the criticism by helping Arsenal secure a victory when they face Lille in a UEFA Champions League encounter on Tuesday.
