From Hale End Academy prospect to undeniable Arsenal star man; Bukayo Saka is now the unquestioned face of the ongoing revolution in north London under Mikel Arteta.
The England international winger has led from the front for Arsenal across all competitions the club has participated in this season, but his performances in the Premier League have been particularly influential as part of the Gunners’ hopeful march to a league title for the first time in nearly twenty years.
At the time of writing, Saka has bagged 12 goals in the league; good enough to sit sixth in the goalscoring chart and one behind club-leading goal-getter Gabriel Martinelli. Equally as impressive is the notion that the London native has also chimed in with 10 assists, sitting behind only master craftsman Kevin De Bruyne (12), making Saka the only Premier League player to register double-digit goals and assists this season.
His influence goes further; most impressively, in key moments this season as detailed by Stats Perform’s OptaJoe, which shows that only Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi (14) has more goals + assists than Saka’s 12 when the score is level.
14 – The five players with the most goals+assists in Europe’s top five leagues this season 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥:
14 – Lionel Messi (5G, 9A)
12 – Bukayo Saka (6G, 6A)
11 – Neymar (7G, 4A)
11 – Antoine Griezmann (5G, 6A)
11 – Victor Osimhen (9G, 2A)Pivotal. pic.twitter.com/d5Dv1B8WKl
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 28, 2023
That number also puts the 21-year-old ahead of other big names across the continent in Neymar, Antoine Griezmann, and Victor Osimhen.
Time and time again, Saka, along with his Arsenal colleagues, has dispelled the notion that a young side is incapable of challenging the established hierarchical order in the Premier League that has seen Manchester City establish hegemony over the top flight of English football to the tune of four league titles in the last five seasons, with only Jürgen Klopp’s traditionally vaunted Liverpool outfit the only club to stop the Spaniard from making it five in a row.
