Bukayo Saka’s late-game cameo allowed him to tie an all-time great Arsenal star in goal contributions.
Fans might have been surprised to see Saka on the bench against Bournemouth, but he was always going to make an appearance for the Gunners.
And what an appearance it was, as Saka set up Declan Rice to score his second goal and seal his brace and an all-important win for Arsenal.
Bukayo Saka bagged his third assist of the season, bringing him to seven goal contributions in the Premier League this season.
But in doing so, he matched a former Arsenal midfielder’s numbers in almost the same number of games.
Imagine we’re in 2030. How many goals+assists will Bukayo Saka have at Arsenal?
Saka overtakes Pires
Bukayo Saka ties Cesc Fabregas for all-time Arsenal PL goal contributions
With his assist to set up Rice, Bukayo Saka notched his 105th goal contribution for Arsenal in 213 Premier League games. He now has 57 goals and 48 assists for Arsenal.
With this, he tied Cesc Fabregas (35 goals, 70 assists) to take sixth place on Arsenal’s all-time Premier League goal contributions list.
What makes this even more interesting is that Fabregas notched his 105th goal contribution for Arsenal in his 212th and final Premier League game with the club, getting an assist against Bolton.
The fact that both players notched the exact same amount of goal contributions in almost the exact same number of games is near-serendipitous.
Saka needs to find his goal-scoring form once again
In his eight seasons with Arsenal, Saka has scored some world-class goals while also setting up his teammates in elite fashion.
If you were Mikel Arteta would you feel the need to push Bukayo Saka to score more goals for Arsenal?
This season hasn’t exactly been Saka’s best in terms of numbers. Gary Lineker has highlighted Saka’s lack of chances and how it has been a big problem for them.
The hope is that with a more consistent run of games, hopefully without injuries and knocks getting in the way, Saka can find his clinical touch once again.
Many consider Saka one of the best players in the league, and he can cement his place atop the league by finding his goal-scoring form.
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