Arsenal expert Charles Watts has admitted that he is concerned about potential long-term problems for Bukayo Saka following another dreadful tackle on the 23-year-old over the weekend.
The Gunners pummelled Ipswich Town 4-0 on Easter Sunday to delay Liverpool's Premier League coronation, but the result was marginally soured by Saka being on the receiving end of a terrible challenge by Ipswich's Leif Davis.
The Tractor Boys left-back caught Saka from behind with his studs up and was rightfully given a straight red card, after which Saka managed to briefly play through the pain before having to call it a day early in the second half.
While Saka has seemingly avoided any lasting damage from that tackle, Watts is worried that another Jack Wilshere-type situation could occur, telling Sports Mole: "The treatment he receives, the kicks he takes, it's very hard not to worry about the long term effects.
"It was an awful tackle. I honestly thought he tried to get himself sent off. I just think he didn't fancy it anymore. I don't see how you make that tackle otherwise and not expect yourself to get a red card. He was never getting the ball. There was nothing on apart from stamping on the back of his Achilles. I was so thankful that there wasn't a serious injury because it easily could have been.
"He takes so many knocks that you do worry about the knock on effect of that. You look at Jack Wilshere, the amount of issues he had with his ankles, the kicks that he took with that low center of gravity. Fingers crossed something like that does not happen with Bukayo Saka obviously because it would be an absolute crying shame for football, for Arsenal, for him.
"But he is such a strong guy and he knows he can take it and come back from it. If he's not playing against Palace, he'll definitely be playing against PSG. He's just one of those players that you just wince every time you see a defender going up to him.
Saka can wear "badge of honour" from repeated fouling
"Ultimately, when you're the best players, you get kicked because players know you're better than them. And the only way they can stop you is by booting you. Mikel talks about it all the time. Ronaldo had to take it. Messi's had to take it. Saka is having to take it. You can wear it as a badge of honour, because players know you're better than them. But that doesn't stop it hurting."
Either side of Davis's red card, Arsenal were in a merciless mood against their relegation-threatened visitors at Portman Road, where Leandro Trossard's first Arsenal brace complemented further efforts from Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri.
The victory at Portman Road marks one of three Premier League wins by four goals or more for the Gunners this season - as well as the 5-1 batterings of Crystal Palace and Manchester City - and Watts believes their display was one of the most dominant of 2024-25 to date.
"I think it's right up there," he added. "They were very, very good, especially when it was 11 against 11. The game changed a lot when the red card happened, I think Ipswich were in damage limitation mode at that point and Arsenal knew the game was done.
"They were in cruise control after what happened against Madrid. Didn't really need to exert themselves, but the first 35 minutes, I thought Arsenal were absolutely excellent before the red card. They were just on it from the start. They were intense, they pressed so well, Ipswich just couldn't get out. It was absolute domination.
"It reminded me of, and this says a lot about Ipswich and the teams at the bottom, but it reminded me of a cup game against lower league opponents. There's just that bigger gulf in class between the sides. It just had the sort of hallmarks of that for me. I thought Arsenal were very, very good."
While Arsenal were a class above Ipswich over the Easter weekend, Liverpool's 1-0 triumph over Leicester City a couple of hours later means that they remain 13 points adrift of Arne Slot's side with only 15 left to fight for.
Watts reflects on season of "what ifs" for Arsenal
© Imago
As a result, if Arsenal are surprisingly beaten at home by Crystal Palace on Wednesday evening, the Reds will win the title with five games to spare, the joint second-earliest crowning after Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool clinched the league with seven games to spare in 2019-20.
Mikel Arteta's men have simply been unable to produce similar displays to their Portman Road masterclass consistently in the top flight, but ahead of a Champions League semi-final with Paris Saint-Germain, Watts has stressed that the 2024-25 season could still go down in history as one of Arsenal's greatest ever.
"There's so many what ifs over this season," he concluded. "Arsenal haven't done themselves justice in the Premier League. They're better than where they are. I'm not saying they're better than Liverpool, but they should be right up there competing for the league title.
"It's not happened. They've drawn too many games. I think it's pretty clear where the issues have been with those amount of draws. There's just been games when they haven't been able to do what they did against Ipswich. They just haven't taken advantage of the chances they've created and just not scored enough goals.
"It is quite frustrating to look at what Arsenal have done, how well they've played recently and just think it's a season that's got away from them. So there is that, but there's still an opportunity here to arguably be the greatest season in Arsenal's history, or certainly one of them, if they go on and win the Champions League.
"So loads still to play for. And what this fortnight has done, it's just shown how good this Arsenal team is. They're standing on the verge of history."
Arteta delivered a fresh update on Saka's fitness ahead of Wednesday's visit of Palace, as well as indirectly admitting that one of his veteran players may have played their final game for the North London giants.
Ben Knapton
