Bukayo Saka's display in Arsenal's opening Premier League victory has stirred optimism among supporters that the reigning champions can retain their crown, with the winger looking sharper than he has in months.
The 24-year-old was on the scoresheet as Arsenal cruised past newly promoted Coventry City 3-0, tormenting full-back Jay Dasilva throughout the contest. Saka's directness and pace down the right flank were reminiscent of the form that made him one of the club's most important players last season, when he contributed 11 goals and nine assists across all competitions.
Saka's fitness had been carefully monitored towards the end of last term after he sustained an Achilles injury in March. That setback ruled him out of seven matches for Arsenal and forced him to miss England's March international fixtures, though he recovered in time to play a part in the Gunners' first league title triumph in 22 years.
Despite the injury interruption, Saka still made 49 appearances for Arsenal last season, and the team's results were notably stronger when he featured. However, his form dipped at the business end of the campaign. He was substituted during Arsenal's Champions League final defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest, a performance that drew criticism, and England manager Thomas Tuchel subsequently restricted his playing time at the World Cup.
Saka made just three starts in England's eight matches at the tournament, though he still made an impact, registering three goals and three assists — the joint-highest assist tally among England players alongside Anthony Gordon. He scored a hat-trick in the third-place play-off victory over France, a result that gave England their best finish at a World Cup held outside home soil, though he was left out of the semi-final loss to Argentina despite starting against Mexico and Norway.
Reflecting on his limited minutes after the win over Mexico, Saka had admitted he wished he had entered the tournament at full fitness. Speaking after Arsenal's win over Coventry, he revealed the disappointment of that World Cup campaign fuelled his determination heading into the new season.
"The World Cup didn't necessarily go how I wanted it to, for myself and for the team as well," Saka said. "I felt really hungry after the World Cup, after the season ended. I was looking forward to this new season."
Saka used the summer to recover and prepare, taking a short break before returning to training ahead of schedule. "I was training a lot so I could be ready for the start of the season and ready to help the team in the way I know I can," he explained. "It was more about balancing my time off and not having too much of a break. I took seven days off and then started to train again. I've put in a lot of work since then and I'm feeling good. I just tried to come back in good shape, so I'm on top of my body."
He made his first appearance of the new campaign as a substitute in the Community Shield, coming on with Arsenal already 3-0 up against Manchester City, before starting the season proper with his goal against Coventry.
Saka's resurgence has coincided with the return to fitness of key teammates Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Ben White. The connection between White's overlapping runs and Saka's movement on the right has long been a source of danger for Arsenal, while the trio of Saka, Odegaard and Havertz starting together remains rare — the Coventry match marked only the second time since December 2024 they had all started a Premier League fixture together, largely due to fitness issues.
Questions have lingered over Mikel Arteta's reliance on Saka, who made 153 appearances for Arsenal across the previous three seasons, 61 of them full 90-minute outings. But with a lighter World Cup workload and a proper rest afterward, the winger appears primed for a return to the consistent, high-level performances Arsenal fans have come to expect.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.