It says it all that after a first defeat in ten Premier League matches, Arsenal supporters have hit the panic button.

This team simply do not lose many games of football. They do not lose many games of football by the margin they did on Saturday either.

The Gunners were distinctly abject as they were swept aside by Brighton and Hove Albion, losing 3-0 to Fabian Hurzeler's men. Coincidentally, it was the first time they had lost 3-0 since they were beaten by the same opposition back in 2023.

Up to this point, Mikel Arteta's men had been perfect this term. They hadn't so much as drawn a game. They had won every match.

Therefore, the way in which they capitulated on the south coast was perplexing. The defence had a rare off day, but the nature of Arsenal's attacking play will no doubt concern many. Bukayo Saka was at the centre of the criticism come full time.

What's going wrong for Bukayo Saka at Arsenal?

The last two years of Saka's career have been a struggle.

In 2023/24, the winger sustained a nasty hamstring tear that ruled him out for several months. Since then, he arguably hasn't been the same player.

The England international lacks the same explosiveness and the same agility to really make himself a nuisance for opponents. That was seen last season when Saka registered a haul of 11 goals and seven assists; it was his worst individual campaign in five years.

This season promised to be different. Now 25 and approaching the prime of his career, the forward scored against Coventry City and Aston Villa. Saka was back. Well, so we thought anyway.

The Hale Ender did find the net from the penalty spot against Sunderland just over a week ago, but either side of that he has delivered a set of worrying performances.

Against Napoli in the Champions League, the Gunners should have been out of sight. They had 26 shots but only won 1-0. Saka's finishing cost Arsenal that night, missing a simple chance from about seven or eight yards out. The goal was at his mercy, but he put it wide.

His visit to Brighton was a similar affair. Saka was not awful; he registered the most chances (3) and completed the most dribbles (3) of any player on the field. Yet, as it was against Napoli, his finishing was wasteful. He put a chance straight at Bart Verbruggen when Arsenal were two-on-one on the counter attack.

This season, Arteta really needed Saka to step up. They lack an elite forward and the Englishman has the star power to become exactly that. His display at Brighton, however, did little to beat the allegations that he isn't quite world-class.

Arsenal have a Saka heir ready and waiting to make an impact

Just over a year ago, Arsenal knew they needed cover for Saka.

The most natural replacement looked like Ethan Nwaneri. The teenager had emerged as one of the best young players in the world after scoring nine goals during his first full season as a senior player.

Yet, it was Noni Madueke who was preferred, signing from Chelsea to the tune of £52m. Yet, he has hardly set the world alight. Madueke bagged just three Premier League goals last season.

Saka's understudy did stake his claim in the 4-2 win over Ipswich in midweek, scoring a beauty of a goal and proving to be a far bigger nuisance than Arsenal's number 7 was on Saturday afternoon.

Yet, with the game seemingly done this weekend, it was not Madueke but Max Dowman who Arteta called upon. That felt telling. Has Dowman now risen above Madueke in the pecking order? Supporters will certainly hope so.

Everybody knows about the talent this 16-year-old has in his locker. In the week, Mikel Merino suggested that the teenager was "very similar" to Spanish superstar Lamine Yamal. Merino's a smart guy, so we should take note.

That was off the back of a stunning performance in the Carabao Cup at Portman Road. Playing in the number 10 position, the youngster scored twice and took both of his strikes with such class.

The first was simply brilliant. He picked up the ball from Eberechi Eze, drove towards the Ipswich box before dancing around Cedric Kipre and finding the net. His second was tucked away nicely too, receiving the ball inside the penalty area and stroking it home.

It's hard to believe those were just his second and third senior goals. Dowman has been on the scene for a while but he's had to be patient since becoming the youngest Premier League goalscorer of all time against Everton in early 2026.

Judging by that performance in the week, his position will be in the middle, but he's also an extremely talented winger. He replaced Saka on Saturday on the right and immediately looked to get at his man.

Barring a disaster, Dowman looks set to have an immense career at the top of the game. Dare we say it, but this is a player who has all the ability to become the club's new number 7 in the future. Saka better watch out.