Arteta responds to Souness' accusations of Saka diving

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal's head coach, has responded to the criticism directed at Bukayo Saka by Scottish pundit Graeme Souness, who accused the player of pretending to be fouled to influence referees' decisions. Arteta emphasized his respect for differing opinions during the press conference ahead of the UEFA Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.

Former Liverpool captain Suárez has criticized Bukayo Saka during his appearance on "Football Uncensored" with presenter Piers Morgan, stating that the Arsenal winger goes down too often instead of continuing to play, accusing him of diving when trying to win fouls.

Souness said: "Saka goes down everywhere. I don't want to hear any talk about him... Any player who pretends to be fouled, in my opinion, is a con artist."

The Scottish added that Saka, when he feels he is about to lose the ball, falls to the ground and screams during his fall, trying to convince the referee that he was fouled, noting that the Arsenal players around him raise their hands and protest as well, which may lead the referee to change his initial decision.

Souness believes that feigning to be fouled is one of the things that annoys fans in modern football, alongside VAR.

For his part, Mikel Arteta has refused to enter into a direct debate regarding the statements made by Suárez, saying: "I haven't heard what was said, and I won't talk about opinions."

When asked to comment further on the accusations directed at his player, the Spanish coach stressed the acceptance of criticism and differing opinions, adding: "We are open to opinions. This is part of our job and our roles, and those opinions should be respected, especially when they are presented in a respectful manner."

Arteta concluded his remarks by saying: "We are here to prove that we deserve to be at this level and on this stage, and we always have the desire and ambition to develop and become better. That's all."

Arsenal are preparing to face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League, with expectations for Bukayo Saka to participate, who contributed to two goals after coming on as a substitute during the London team's match in the competition last week.