‘This is the year’: Bukayo Saka backs Arsenal to win Premier League title

Arsenal can end their 21-year wait for a Premier League title this season, Bukayo Saka said after his side beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in the Champions League.

Arsenal finished runners-up in 2022-23 and took the Premier League title race to the final day last season before again finishing second behind Manchester City. The north London side are in the mix this season, sitting third, and their impressive victory over PSG underlined their title credentials, with Kai Havertz and Saka scoring.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on us but I do think that this is the year [that we can win the title],” Saka told CBS Sports. “I think we’ve been close the last two years and we’re getting closer but this hopefully will be the year.”

Saka, who has established himself as a key player at Arsenal and was their top-scorer in the Premier League last season, said the club’s near misses had left him hungry for success.

“Previous years, I’ve come runners-up a lot,” the 23-year-old told Amazon Prime. “It’s just that spirit in me that I want to win this season and of course, I believe in myself a lot. With those two things, it helps. We believe in ourselves, we believe we’re a top team. We showed that tonight. I did tell the boys we have to make a statement when big teams are coming to the Emirates.”

Arsenal host 19th-placed Southampton on Saturday.