Bukayo Saka has warned his Arsenal teammates it is far too early to start talking about potential Premier League title succcess.
The Gunners have made an impressive start to the new campaign and have opened up a four-point lead over their nearest rivals Bournemouth.
With traditional powerhouses Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea all struggling to keep pace and showing signs of weakness, many pundits believe the title is Arsenal’s to lose.
After three consecutive years as runners-up, Saka believes his teammates now possess the requisite level of experience to go the distance but insists nobody at the club can afford to get carried away.
He told Sky Sports: ‘I feel like, when you’re an Arsenal player, there’s just always constant talk about where you’re finishing and how you’re performing.
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‘Sometimes I feel like it’s even over-analysed, but this year I feel we’re a very strong group and we’ve got a lot of quality.
‘We’ve suffered a lot of injuries already, but the players that have come in have shown that we can all keep the level at the highest, and that’s what it’s going to take for us to go all the way.
‘I think that’s where we’ve slipped off in a few seasons, but this season, we’ve got that and it’s making me really believe we can do it.
‘I’ve been in the title race the last three years now and finished second in all of them. Just the understanding from that and what I’ve learnt is that now it’s not so important.
‘It’s in April, that’s when you need to be there and that’s where you need to try and be top.
‘Now it’s about standing around it, building your momentum and then going in a run of performances.’
Arsenal’s hopes of finally claiming the major silverware their players and fans crave has been boosted by the summer arrival of Eberechi Eze.
The former Crystal Palace forward scored a spectacular winning goal against his former club last Sunday and Saka has been delighted with the performances of his England colleague.
He added: ‘He’s fitted in like a glove,” said Saka. “He’s happy, he’s playing and he’s playing very well as well, which is important.
‘I’m happy to have him at Arsenal and looking forward to what he’s going to bring to us this season.
‘It’s quite sweet when he signed and there’s like about 20 of his family in the picture. You can see what it means to him to be at Arsenal and to his family as well.
‘We spoke about the pictures and all the other videos across social media and that’s what I love, having a player that wants to be here and loves the club.
‘He’s going to give everything for this club and that’s what you need.’
