‘Sad to see’: Ian Wright says there’s one big concern for Arsenal ahead of Chelsea clash

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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has expressed his concern over Bukayo Saka’s fitness ahead of the Gunners’ Chelsea clash.

The Highbury icon was speaking on The Kelly & Wrighty Show, as transcribed by Metro.

Wright feels that Saka should’ve had more of a rest after having to come off against Nottingham Forest last week.

The Arsenal ace suffered a heavily bruised ankle, but he returned to training ahead of the FC Zurich match.

Saka began the Europa League clash on the bench, but came on for Gabriel Jesus shortly after the hour mark.

With the World Cup on the horizon, Premier League clubs in European competition have had busier workloads than ever.

England have already suffered a setback with Reece James ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury he suffered last month.

And earlier this week, Chelsea teammate Ben Chilwell suffered a hamstring injury which is likely to rule him out of Qatar.

‘You always worry’

Wright believes Saka is now being targeted by opponents because of how vital he is for Arsenal.

He also feels Mikel Arteta is unable to rest the winger due to his lack of squad depth there.

“It was sad to see. You look at Arsenal and people are already saying he should have been rested by now,” Wright said on The Kelly & Wrighty Show.

“It was an awkward fall he had [against Forest]. He opened his knee up, the sign is always when someone is coming off how angry they are, how despondent they are.

“We saw with Varane how he was. Saka came off with a little bit more of an anger. He was really disappointed, he looked really vexed about it.

“I think if Emile Smith Rowe was fit, he [Saka] would’ve got more of a rest.

“We just haven’t got the depth. We still haven’t put teams away enough in the Europa League to be able to rest, we have to play him, whereas you probably would’ve thought he’d get rested against Zurich.

“He’s so dangerous now. He’s getting fouled a lot, he’s getting a lot bodies around him, you always worry about him.

“It is a worry because we’re not a million miles away from the World Cup. And more importantly he’s in good form which is what Arsenal need at the moment.”

Too much responsibility?

As one of Arsenal and England’s best players, a lot has been required of Saka in recent years.

While it’s good to see such a star get the regular football he deserves, it also means there’s a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.

Fans have often spoken on how Saka rarely gets a rest, and this is something Arteta must address in the January transfer window.