Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has now come out on top in a comparison with Kylian Mbappe and a number of his Premier League rivals.
Bukayo Saka has been sensational for Arsenal this season.
The 22-year-old winger is a talismanic figure at the Emirates Stadium. The Hale End academy graduate is a key player for Mikel Arteta, as he starts for the Gunners week in, week out.
Saka is also Arsenal’s most potent attacking player. So far this season, the England man has racked up 16 goals and 13 assists in 37 appearances, across all competitions. His importance to the north London club can scarcely be overstated.
Therefore, Arteta will desperately be hoping that the right-winger will be fit to start in the crucial Premier League clash against Manchester City this weekend. A “late call” will be made on Saka ahead of this match at the Etihad Stadium, after he struggled with an injury throughout the international break.
There has been plenty of debate this season about whether or not Saka ought to be considered a ‘world-class’ player. Many Arsenal fans would argue that he merits inclusion in that most elite bracket, and the data would support them in this contention.
How does Bukayo Saka compare to Phil Foden, Mohamed Salah, and Kylian Mbappe?
Squawka have now compared Saka to a number of his high-profile contemporaries, assessing how the Arsenal man stacks up against his rivals in certain key metrics.
Saka’s numbers in nine key areas have been analysed. In any given match, the Arsenal man averages 5.2 ball recoveries, 8.6 touches in the opposition box, 0.6 goals, 1.2 shots on target, 0.4 assists, 2.7 key passes, 1.6 successful dribbles, 2 fouls won, and he is successful in 51.31% of his ground duels.
Compared to Manchester City star Phil Foden, Saka comes out on top in six of these nine metrics, with the duo also being dead even when it comes to how many dribbles they complete per game. Foden is only more productive in terms of shots on target (1.4) and ground duel success (53.69%).
It is a similar story when Saka’s numbers, in the same categories, are put up against Liverpool icon Mohamed Salah. In this head-to-head, Saka wins in five out of the nine statistical areas. Salah is more successful when it comes to goals (0.8), assists (0.5), and shots on target (1.8) per game, as well as touches in the opposition box (8.8).
Kylian Mbappe is arguably the best player in the world. However, the French superstar still loses out to the Arsenal man in five out of nine categories in this comparison. The PSG ace wins out when it comes to goals (1.2), shots on target (2.6), successful dribbles (2.5), and touches in the opposition box (9.8).
Arsenal have a world-class talent on their hands
Even when Saka is second best in these metrics, though, it is almost always a close-run thing. This exercise also demonstrates that the Gunners’ homegrown star belongs at the very top of the game.
This is all the more extraordinary given his age, which suggests that there is plenty more to come and his best days still lie ahead.
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