Legendary former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has now given his appraisal of Bukayo Saka.
Bukayo Saka is a talismanic figure at Arsenal.
The 22-year-old winger, despite his youth, is a key figure for the Gunners and has been for some time. He already has over 200 first-team appearances for the north club. Saka recently became the first Arsenal player to reach one particular milestone at such a young age since 1978.
There has been intense debate recently as to whether the Hale End academy graduate can yet be considered a truly world-class player. Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand does not believe that Saka can be included in that most elite bracket of players just yet.
However, Saka’s output certainly suggests that he is right up there. So far this season, in the Premier League alone, he has racked up 12 goals and 8 assists in just 24 appearances. Saka has been in flying form in recent weeks, too. He has scored six goals in his last four outings, including back-to-back braces against West Ham United and Burnley.
Mikel Arteta certainly regards Saka extremely highly and relies upon him heavily. The England star starts practically every game for the Gunners.
How important is Bukayo Saka to Arsenal?
Arsene Wenger, who was at the helm at the Emirates Stadium whilst Saka was coming through the club’s academy system, has now shared his verdict on the attacker. Speaking on beIN Sports ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Porto, the Frenchman stated, “the players at that age that make a difference at that level of the game have a great future…His career will now be decided by how much he wants to continue to improve…I would say he’s world class.”
Whether or not Saka is world-class is clearly a matter of opinion. What cannot be argued against, though, is the fact that his level of end product is extraordinary, especially with his age taken into account. If he can keep it up consistently over the next couple of seasons, it will soon be a universally agreed point that Saka is indeed amongst the very best in the world.
In the meantime, full focus needs to be kept on the current campaign, in which so many of the Gunners’ hopes rest on him. Whilst the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, and Gabriel Martinelli, amongst others, are undoubtedly great players, it is so often Saka who is the one to produce something special when Arsenal really need it.
Arsenal are in the heat of an intense title race right now, and will also have ambitions to go far in the Champions League. If they are to come out on top either domestically or in Europe, then it is vital that Saka is able to stay fit and firing on all cylinders.
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