'He screamed': 20-year-old Arsenal player 'angrily' shouted at Mikel Arteta during West Ham game - journalist
Goal’s Charles Watts revealed yesterday that Arsenal star Bukayo Saka and Mikel Arteta were involved in a heated exchange towards the end of the game against West Ham United.
The Gunners faced David Moyes’ side at the London Stadium in a game they simply had to win. The North Londoners were really, really poor, but Rob Holding gave them the lead after heading home from Saka’s corner.
West Ham quickly hit back with Jarrod Bowen and it just seemed like one of those days for Arsenal. Thankfully for them, Gabriel Magalhaes stepped up and got them the three points.
Saka, 20, was knackered towards the end of the game and Arteta had to bring him off in the 87th minute. However, just a few moments before the substitution was made, the player and the manager apparently had a go at each other.
Charles Watts: Bukayo Saka screamed at Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta
The Goal journalist said in a video on his YouTube channel: “There was a moment in the second half, just as Saka went down injured. He wanted the play to be stopped but Mike Dean didn’t stop the play. Bukayo Saka sat on the pitch, not happy, and West Ham carried on playing.
“Then, Mikel was screaming at Bukayo Saka to get up. And then Saka did get up, but he screamed back at Mikel and gestured angrily at Arteta.
“It was a moment, I thought, that just summed up the tension in those last few minutes.
“They did hug it out when Saka went off injured, so I don’t think there’s any risk of a relationship breakdown or anything like that between Arteta and Saka – which is obviously very, very important.”
TBR View:
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s probably the most animated manager on the touchline in the Premier League, he’s arguably even more animated than his mentor Pep Guardiola.
It’s clear that Arsenal players have benefitted from their manager yelling out instructions from the sides, but sometimes, it may be a bit too much to take in, especially at the end of the game when they’re all tired.
That’s probably what happened with Saka on Sunday and that’s why the Arsenal youngster decided to have a go at his boss right after Arteta screamed at him. The most important thing for Arsenal fans, however, is that Arteta and Saka hugged it out after the game and there’s no rift of any sort between the two.
Arsenal take on Leeds United this weekend and we can almost guarantee that Arteta will continue to shout instructions to his players from the first minute to the very last.
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