Arsenal round-up as Mikel Arteta defends himself and Bukayo Saka's impact is assessed04:00, 12 Sep 2026Arsenal are gearing up for a Saturday night showdown at Sunderland after making an ominously strong start to the season. The Gunners made it three wins out of three in the Premier League with last weekend's impressive win over expected title rivals Chelsea.‌Mikel Arteta's side then made a winning start to their Champions League campaign, despite spurning a host of chances, thanks to Martin Odegaard's winner. Next, they will face Granit Xhaka's Sunderland, who have four points from four games.‌Off the pitch, the recently closed transfer window continues to loom large. Arteta has been fending off some difficult questions about his now former players, including Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.‌As the Gunners look to make it four league wins in a row, here's a round-up of the latest news from the club.FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook pageSaka 'getting away with it'Bukayo Saka is overrated and doesn't live up to his reputation as a world-class player. That damning assessment has come from former Gunners winger Jermaine Pennant, who reckons Saka's stats don't stand up to scrutiny, saying the Hale End graduate "gets away with murder at times."‌Pennant told GOAL: "If you start touting players as world-class, one of the best wingers in the world or the best winger in the Premier League, then you've got to be in those numbers. I would say it's non-negotiable."If you look at Mohamed Salah, he did it for nine years straight. In the bracket of goal contributions, it's plus 20."I think he [Saka] does get away with a bit of murder at times, the numbers and his stats. He can put in some absolutely stellar performances but if you look deep and you start digging deep and you look at his stats, compared to top wingers around the globe and who played in the Premier League as well, they fall quite short."‌Arteta plays 'bad cop'Arteta said someone has to play "bad cop" in response to Jesus' criticism of his Arsenal departure. Jesus, who joined Barcelona at the end of the window, said in an interview with SportyTV this week that "out of nowhere they put me to train apart from the group", adding that "nobody told me nothing."Arteta used Leandro Trossard's presence in the stands to watch the win over Chelsea as an example of the club's bond with its former players. Trossard was sold to Besiktas in July.‌Arteta was also asked about Ian Wright's recent comment that he was "uncomfortable" with what the Gunners great perceived to be a lack of dialogue with Gabriel Martinelli, who moved to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal earlier this month.Arteta said: "Very surprised [to hear], to be fair, especially because with Gabi [Jesus]. I had an individual talk in the dressing room. I don't know what words were said, [but] it's fine. The words that we used were all about gratitude.Article continues below"I don't know, it's OK. Sometimes I understand that when you have to deliver bad news, or news that people don't expect, somebody has to be the bad cop. If I have to be, I have to be and I understand."Join our WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.