Superstar Saka back with a bang? | Can Arsenal reignite PL title race? | Will Salah really move to Saudi?
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Welcome to Back Pages, bringing you everything you need to know about the biggest sports stories making headlines in the morning's newspapers. I'm David Garrido and joining me are the Athletics football correspondent David Ornstein and the Denimales chief sports feature writer, Riaf Al-Samourai. Welcome along to you both.

So we're going to start with the back page of The Guardian. Hello once again, David. Hello once again, Riyadh. So it's all about Bakayo Saka and you can understand why. You know, Arsenal fans waiting over 100 days for his return after that injury at Crystal Palace.

And then David coming back just seven minutes after coming on, finishing off a sweeping Arsenal move to give them ultimately the decisive goal in the win. You know, those 100 days must have felt like 100 years for Arsenal fans. Yeah, and their position in the sort of Premier League and...

and the domestic cup competition shake-up has suffered in his absence. Luckily for them, they've kept going in the Champions League, but their statistics are down without him. Their performance level has dropped and it's really hit them hard and perhaps

You don't know what it's got till it's gone. And his value has risen in his absence, you could say, because he is just an unbelievable talent. He's a boy that's come through the Arsenal Academy. He offers so much for club and country. He's got an infectious personality. He's even liked, it seems, by

many rival fans. Um, even if you think back to the way he responded to the adversity of, of missing a penalty in the Euros final and, and he just goes from strength to strength as a goal scorer in terms of assists, influence, and, um,

And it's great. Arsenal, uh, you know, are going to suffer now with, with the loss of Gabrielle through injury, maybe timber as well, but, but they've got their best player back and that will give them hope going in, uh, to the end of the season. And in particular, the Real Madrid, uh, champions league tie. Um,

It was a great scene for Arsenal fans and for Saka to have him back tonight. His smile is going to be plastered all over the back pages and it gives them hope. And yeah, they will feel very grateful to have him back in their team. And popping up with a goal tonight was sort of poetic, really. And it proved to be the winner.

Yeah, back page of the Times, the headline there is same old Saka. Riyadh, I mean, ultimately, as far as Bakayo Saka is concerned, it feels like, you know, yes, as David says, they really do miss him when he's not there, but he's just one of those irresistible forces. He's sort of magnetic with his play, with his smile, with the ball stuck to his feet and the touch that gives him, you know, the impact that he has.

I think he's the kind of player who makes you want to watch football. Like you say, I think infectious is a word for it. You see him play and it makes you happy. He's dynamic, he's attacking, he's got personality, he expresses himself. And, you know, look, if we're going to try and sort of squeeze the pips out of this title race as well, he kind of gives us a reason to think that

Maybe, possibly, you know, obviously, we've probably got to be a bit sensible about the margins involved. But, you know, if we're going to sort of humour the situation, he is precisely the player that you want to see on the pitch making a go of it. I think it's really... I feel for Arsenal tonight and I feel for Arteta because obviously you have this hugely uplifting moment where the fan favourite...

comes on, he ends this three months away, scores the goal. But the Gabriel injury, I think, really does put a cloud over it because when we look ahead to that Real Madrid game in a week's time,

You know, that central defensive partnership with Saliba, I would make the argument that's every bit as important to Arsenal, the way they play, as Saka is out on the right, as Odegaard is in the middle. Players like Declan Rice, I think that is an absolutely key component of Arteta's side. And for him to be out injured, they've also got the injuries around Calafiori as well at the back. So, you know, Timber, we're kind of waiting to see

on what his situation is from this evening as well. But this night, which had the potential to be incredibly uplifting, quite positive,

quite possibly left Arsenal in a worse state of damage. And so I'm fairly sure it's going to be a very mixed feeling for Arteta. Yeah, I think bittersweet is the kind of word, isn't it? Because of the return for Saka, but then ultimately the injuries that they continue to suffer. It must feel so frustrating for him. We'll come to that point in a moment, but just picking up on the start of your last answer, Riyad, I'll just put this to you, David.

Where does this leave the title race? Is it a race? Let's just put this to you. So, Arsenal are currently nine points behind, but Liverpool play Everton tomorrow in a Merseyside derby, and then Arsenal play before them at the weekend. Now, should things go Arsenal's way, that nine-point gap could potentially become six before Liverpool play at Fulham on Sunday.

Yeah, we are trying to breathe a new life into this title race. It's unrealistic and Liverpool should go on to lift their 20th crown, but it's not impossible. That margin can come down further by the time Liverpool play on Sunday. Now, Everton actually have unbeaten under David Moyes, aren't they? It's nine. And so it's not going to be easy. And obviously it's

It was only a few weeks ago, really, that Everton got the better of Liverpool and really got under their skin at Goodison Park. So that should be a really interesting one. Liverpool have had the setbacks of being knocked out of the Champions League, losing the League Cup final to Newcastle. And Arnaud Slott's been quite vocal about feeling that the Wembley performance was far below expectations and can't be repeated. It wasn't so long ago that they lost...

Plymouth in the FA Cup as well. So it's turned against them a little bit. There's been the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation that's caused a bit of angst among the Liverpool fan base. And so when you look towards the title race and you look at some of Liverpool's remaining fixtures, which include Arsenal at Anfield and there's another tough couple of games towards the end of the campaign, certainly they've got a harder run in than Arsenal. Then you start to think, could they? Well,

It's improbable. Arsenal would have to be perfect and Liverpool very much imperfect. Arsenal will be kicking themselves that they've not managed to stay on the shoulder of Liverpool because the way it's gone for Liverpool recently, maybe they could have accelerated on

But Liverpool deserve to be out in front. They've been the best team in the Premier League by some distance this season. That does not mean to say it won't get squeaky towards the end if I'm to give you the optimistic view from the neutral football fans. Always take glass half full from you, David. Always. Can I just come back to you, though, on something that Riyadh mentioned about the injuries suffered. So, Gabriel, also Uri and Timber. The significance of those and also, given that they're in defensive positions with Real Madrid around the corner.

Yeah, but the Arsenal defensive resilience, you know, they've got the opportunity potentially to bring Ben White back into the back line. Kivior deputises well. It's a crushing blow if he is out for some time, maybe even the rest of the season, Gabriel, not just defensively, but in attack as well.

However, if you had a sort of toss up between whether you want, you know, if you're going to have to lose a defender or your key attacker in Saka, you'd probably take the loss of a defender and Saka back to breathe new life into the attack. Arsenal's defensive numbers have been really impressive again this season, and he is at the heart of that. But I don't think it's the end of the world yet.

I don't think it's completely unrealistic that they can do something against Real Madrid even without Gabriel. Whereas having Saka back and a bit of momentum in the other end of the pitch where they have struggled at times a little bit is probably a bigger boost to them. So, yeah, it's not ideal, but it's been a bit of the story of their season, hasn't it? These injuries and they've coped with it until now.

to what extent is debatable, but they'll have to get by if indeed he is ruled out. One thing I'd say, let's just wait for the assessments because...

I recall a couple of seasons ago, maybe even three seasons ago, Gabriel went off away to Tottenham late on in the campaign when Arsenal were sort of pushing for the title. And it seemed he had a bad injury. He then started at Newcastle in the next game. So I'm not saying that will happen against Everton on Saturday or Real Madrid in a week's time. But it's not like we know the prognosis just yet. And the same with Durian Timber.

OK, let's move to one of the other results from the Premier League action of the evening, and that is Lotharcan Forest beating Manchester United by a goal to note at the city ground. And in the back of the eye, yes, they've gone instead of Bukayo Saka on Anthony Alanga. And what a winner it was. I think it was 93 yards that he ran.

in nine seconds. Tell you what, get training for LA 2028, Anthony. That's all I'm saying. But yeah, what do you make of this result, Riyatha? It's once again Nuno's boys pulling off a big result against a big-name team. It's one of those. We have this sort of temptation to look at everything through the Man United lens. But what Nuno's done there this season is fantastic. And even I was at Brighton at the weekend when they've

made it to the FA Cup semi-final for the first time since 91. And now,

Now, it's looking like that Champions League place is... I don't want to say it's sewn up, but if we go on the basis that top five are going to qualify, they're 10 points clear of Newcastle in six. Newcastle have got a couple of games in hand, so that makes it... Now, that does make it interesting. It makes it a test, but I've not seen anything from this Forest side that makes me think that they're going to crack. I love the way that they're playing, and if it wasn't for...

everything that slot's done and the context of coming in and replacing Jurgen Klopp, he would hands down be the manager of the season. We're talking about, what was it, last season, 17th in the league. They've effectively doubled their points tally through 30 games. They play brilliant counter-attacking football and that Alanga goal as well. That was just not, not even for us in a nutshell this season. One end of the pitch to the other, blink and you miss it kind of stuff.

He's a fantastic player, but then you factor in Gibbs White, people like Hudson Odoi, obviously not involved there tonight. Ryan Yates, absolutely fantastic. Captain's performance. You look all over the pitch and you see players who Nuno has taken and improved. And we're talking about some guys as well who haven't made the grade at bigger clubs. So you've had to pick them up, nurture them, repair them in a sense.

I've been blown away by watching them play.

I think they're fantastic tonight, case in point. If I've got any sympathy for United, I thought they played well. We go over these stats with them and there's a new one every week. The fact that they haven't won back-to-back games all season is extraordinary. But this evening, they're a couple of bounces away, even just in stoppage time at the end there, away from getting a result. So it wasn't a poor performance, but it does fall within a pattern of pretty dreadful results. So...

That might well end up becoming the narrative, but...

Every time I look at Nightingale Forest, all I want to talk about is Nightingale Forest. And I think that's right, isn't it? I mean, we talk about Manchester United a lot on the show. And yes, they do generate, you know, really good headlines most of the time. But this is a Forest story, isn't it, David? I mean, like, you know, if you look at the back page of the Mirror, don't look back at Langer. Love that headline. Love that headline. And I dare say, actually, if Forest beat City in the FA Cup semi-finals, then they might have to recycle it if Langer does well again, given the...

that the providence of that song lyric. What about Nuno Espirito Santo? Because whenever I've been in touch with him this season about how they're doing, he's been incredibly humble, incredibly measured in his responses. And, you know, he's not, you know, claiming, you know, or celebrating Champions League football just yet, but he's done clearly a super job. Would you agree with Riyadh that he is, you know, arguably the manager of the season, were it not for Arnaz Slot?

Yeah. And I mean, he could even be manager of the season, um, irrespective of, of slots. Fantastic campaign. Cause what Nuno has done, um, and forest are firmly and have been firmly on course for a champions league qualification statistically for quite some time. The fact that they haven't fallen apart and, and, um, confounded those statistics is a tribute to them. And Nuno, um, it's pleasing for him, especially how things went to Tottenham. Um,

where post wolves, where he did a fantastic job on the whole. And many people forgot about that given what happened at Spurs. Um, um,

that he's managed to pull it together like this. And Steve Cooper had done a wonderful job to bring Nottingham Forest up and keep them in the Premier League. There was a lot of scepticism when Nuno took over and he sort of jet propelled this forward. But we also need to broaden it out wider and look at the recruitment under the likes of Ross Wilson and the ownership, the Marinakis leadership.

because the players that they've brought in and many people sort of laughed at the scale of their recruitment. And there was a PSR breach in there as well due to the amount of spending post-promotion. But the actual profiles and individuals they've brought in

and then blended them together and found a system that fits those players and their characteristics, as opposed to at Manchester United where Ruben Amorim is dead set on his philosophy, irrespective of the players, and they have to fit into that, which clearly isn't working at the moment because they've not even won consecutive matches this season. Forrest have now done the double over them for the first time since, I think, 1992.

And then you bring in the crowd at the club, at the city ground and the sort of excitement that they're putting on. It's an amazing story and fair play to them that they knew, know the individuals, the whole club deserves enormous credit.

And the way they're actually playing, if you look at these performances, they would be worthy Champions League participants. And that's something that just must be incredible for Forest fans to hear. Let's go to the back page of The Telegraph and an exclusive from friend of the show,

Jason Burt, chief football correspondent there. And Riyadh, perhaps the most significant detail in Jason's piece, he said here, it's understood that lines of communication remain open between Mo Salah and the Saudi pro league. And one senior source insisted that Salah remains interested in the Saudi move

and that although he prioritised hearing what Liverpool had to offer, it was believed the Egyptian would be signed up this summer when his deal expired. How significant do you think this development is in ultimately the whole Mo Salah story as we near the end of his contract?

it's very significant on the basis that the saudis still believe it can be done we know also know that they're incredibly persuasive and that this scenario has run for so long now that you have you have to believe that mo salah is legitimately interested in leaving my instinct all along has been that you know the public comments that he's that that he's made this season i've

consistently felt it was a negotiating ploy. I think I probably still believe it's a negotiating ploy, but the fact that this isn't wrapped up and done and dusted is...

is going to be concerning for Liverpool. I'd find it incredibly deflating if Mo Salah, at this stage in his career, with the form that he's been in this season, if he chooses to make that move, I think that would be an incredible loss for anyone who's interested in a competitive, serious league. But...

Clearly, the situation is still active and it's still live. And Liverpool are going to have to do even more than whatever it is they're currently doing to try and keep him. David, your experience in these matters as well, particularly with transfer players that are nearing the end of their contracts. We've seen it many, many times. But what do you think is the key determining factor in what will decide Mo Salah's mind?

Well, I think he is a competitive beast who is not done yet in European football in his own mind. And I don't really see him playing elsewhere in Europe. So my expectation is that he signs with Liverpool and renews his deal. That's been the feeling for quite some time at Anfield, that it's more a matter of when rather than if. And they remain confident as far as I know. And Jason details that within his piece that he's

um, Liverpool are really in the driving seat here to get it done because he wants to stay. He is fiercely ambitious. Um, his body's in incredible shape. His statistics are as good, if not better than ever, pretty much as good as, uh, his finest season at Liverpool. And it could get even better before the end of the campaign. Um,

And so whatever's going on in these negotiations, Liverpool clearly need to get to where he feels comfortable with before putting pen to paper. The Saudis, I'm sure, will provide him with the level of finance that he would want and expect.

but I don't know where their confidence is coming from. Maybe just the fact that he is yet to put ink on paper with Liverpool, and so maybe they'll keep trying. But until this point, he hasn't been that keen on moving over there, despite all of the links. And we saw the massive bid for him a couple of years ago that was turned down by Liverpool. He hasn't been agitating for it. It's an option, whether it be now or in the future, no doubt. But I think the

anticipation remains that he will eventually stay at Liverpool. And of course, as you say, fiercely ambitious and you'd think that he would have wanted more than just the one trophy this season should Liverpool obviously clinch the Premier League. Back page of The Guardian, Slott warns Liverpool Cup final lefty must not be repeated because of course they did let the Carabao Cup go and Newcastle picked up that instead. I wonder, yes, you might expect Arnold Slott to say this, Riyadh, but should this jolt have come a little earlier?

- Clearly when it comes to work, this is one of his buzzwords. We've seen that with the sort of various

little elbows at Darwin Nunez this season. So, you know, it is something he's very hot on and he's got them bang to rights about the Carabao Cup final as well. That was a long way below their level. They did look lethargic. I wouldn't go as far as saying they looked disinterested, but I felt like they went into that match a little bit too comfortable, perhaps underestimated Newcastle. So he's clearly looking to just...

give them a quick boot up the pack site going into whatever is the final nine games for Liverpool's Liverpool season. We were talking about it earlier in terms of Arsenal in real terms. I think with the goal difference, they're five wins away, five wins in nine. If they beat Liverpool,

If they beat Arsenal at home, that's four wins and done. I think they just need to have that last push. I don't think we've seen a proper wobble from Liverpool this season. We've only seen moments. That is testament to...

to slots management. What he has done this season is fantastic. And again, it's what we were speaking about before the break over manager of the season. It's impossible to underplay how impressive it is to come in after Jurgen Klopp and maintain this alongside transfer issues around arguably his three biggest players.

Really quickly, if we can for me, David, literally 30 seconds. Back page of the mirror. Pep Erling's season KO because Erling Haaland out for seven weeks. How perilous do you see this in terms of losing him and potentially being sat fifth in the Champions League in terms of Premier League qualification for the Champions League?

It's really bad, David. I think the last time they were without him was away to Real Madrid. And we know how that went in the Champions League. He's absolutely integral. His numbers speak for themselves. They do have Marmouch, which is a big boost. And they're a very good team regardless. But they are weaker without Haaland. And in the race for the Champions League place and the FA Cup, this is a significant setback. They'll hope that he's fit for the Club World Cup, if not just before.