According to a report by Football London on Thursday, October 22, 2026, former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has defended Bukayo Saka against the criticism directed at the winger, insisting that there is nothing wrong with his performances. Henry also suggested that Mikel Arteta’s tactical instructions have influenced the England international’s attacking output for the North London club.

Speaking on CBS Sports, Henry expressed his frustration with the constant scrutiny surrounding Saka, arguing that supporters and pundits have allowed their expectations to overshadow the winger’s actual contributions to Arsenal.

Henry remarked that people often assumed he was speaking on behalf of Arsenal whenever they saw him. Addressing the concerns surrounding Saka, the Frenchman questioned why so many people believed the winger had a problem, insisting that his performances did not justify the level of criticism he was receiving.

To support his argument, Henry compared Saka’s record with that of former Manchester United winger David Beckham, explaining that both players have made significant contributions to their respective teams despite differences in their goalscoring and assist statistics.

The report cited impressive Premier League figures for both players, listing Saka with 233 goals and 50 assists, while Beckham recorded 265 goals and 80 assists. Henry acknowledged the difference in their assist numbers but pointed out that Beckham benefited from playing alongside prolific forwards at Manchester United, including Dwight Yorke and Ruud van Nistelrooy.

The former Arsenal captain also highlighted Saka’s achievements with England, noting his contributions during his first 59 international appearances. According to the report, Saka has scored 19 goals and provided 16 assists, while the comparison with Beckham was used to demonstrate the winger’s effectiveness at international level.

Henry stressed that the issue was not necessarily Saka’s performance but the growing demand for him to deliver even more. He explained that expectations for modern attackers have been heavily influenced by the extraordinary standards set by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The Frenchman further argued that Arsenal previously played a more fluid attacking style, allowing Saka greater freedom to express himself in the final third. However, he believes Arteta’s tactical approach has affected the winger’s attacking responsibilities and limited some aspects of his natural game.

Henry explained the difference by stating, “It's not the same Bukayo that we see with England, and we saw playing for Arsenal two and a half years ago.”

He emphasised that Saka operates under different tactical instructions for Arsenal and England, questioning whether it was fair to place the entire burden of criticism on the player without considering those differences.

Henry also reminded critics that Saka has already won trophies with Arsenal and performs a different role when representing England, suggesting that his contributions should be assessed within the context of each team’s requirements.

Meanwhile, Arteta had previously challenged Saka to improve his attacking output, and the winger has responded by scoring four goals so far this season. Arsenal will now hope that his injury does not significantly disrupt his progress or affect his availability for upcoming matches.