Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka
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Accusations of simulation in the Premier League often focus on players who go to ground when challenged. Former professionals who label the action a form of cheating point to the reaction of teammates and the pressure placed on referees. Those comments follow matches in which a player remains among the most fouled in the division.
Agreement from another former striker centres on the same tendency to throw oneself on the floor. The wider prevalence of the behaviour across the league is acknowledged, yet the individual is still singled out. Broader observations about the entertainment value of recent performances sit alongside the specific claims.
The distinction between a genuine foul and an exaggerated reaction is central to the criticism. Referees who initially see nothing in a challenge can still award it after prolonged protests. Those views form part of a wider debate about what supporters dislike in the modern game.
Graeme Souness has branded Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka a cheat. The former Liverpool midfielder made the comments to Piers Morgan after Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
“Your man Saka dives all over the place. I don’t want to hear about him. The minute he looks like losing possession, he’s down. He simulates a foul. Anyone who simulates a foul in my book would be a cheat,” Souness said.
“He dives when he should be staying on his feet. He’s not alone. So Saka gets tackled, he screams as he’s going down. The referee thinks there’s nothing in that but wait a minute, he’s stayed down. And then worse than that, everyone in the immediate area – all Arsenal players – put their hands up and scream foul.
“The referee at that point panics and blows his whistle when it wasn’t a foul – his first instinct was the right one. But he blows a foul because he’s thinking, wait a minute, something I’m not understanding here. Simulation is a form of cheating, yes. But it’s all over football today. If you asked 100 people what is it you dislike about the modern game, 50 per cent would say simulation, another 50 per cent would say VAR.”
Gabriel Agbonlahor agreed with the assessment on talkSPORT. “When I watch Saka, fantastic player, (but) I think he’s limited and could never be an elite player like Lamine Yamal or Michael Olise,” he said. “But he does throw himself on the floor. But he’s not the only one. It’s the majority of Premier League players now. Any little touch, rolling around on the floor. I am seeing more and more referees not giving it. But Saka, I agree with Graeme Souness, he does like to throw himself on the floor.”
Agbonlahor also commented on Arsenal’s performance against Forest. “I was bored, I was not entertained. It was slow… that’s not entertaining football. It makes me think to myself, the next time Arsenal are on, no thank you. Out of all the games this week in the Champions League, Arsenal is not the game I will be watching. For me, they’re no closer to winning the Champions League.”
Saka remains the second-most fouled player in the Premier League this season. The comments from Souness and Agbonlahor focus on the manner of his challenges rather than the volume of fouls. The debate continues around simulation and the pressure placed on match officials.
The accusations follow a narrow win in which Arsenal secured the points with limited attacking threat. Both former players maintain their view of Saka’s reactions on the pitch. The wider conversation about entertainment and the style of play forms part of the same discussion.