Arsenal goal £51m star who’s like Saka

Bukayo Saka. Arsenal‘s poster boy. The younger man who followers throughout north London and the globe place their hopes on each week.

It wasn’t way back that Saka claimed the passionate supporters deserved extra. Boy has he delivered on his promise to convey the nice occasions again since that assertion.

A Premier League title could not have been claimed but however Mikel Arteta, with Saka in tow, have come mightily shut, solely dropping out by two factors final time period to Manchester Metropolis.

The membership’s quantity 7 was very a lot on the coronary heart of issues once more within the well-known pink and white shirt. No Gunners participant scored greater than the Englishman’s 20 objectives in all competitions and no participant contributed with greater than his 14 assists.

Rio Ferdinand as soon as prompt that the winger wasn’t world-class but. Boohoo to that. Saka is among the perfect broad gamers on the market.

The difficulty is that he may do with a rival, somebody who will take away the pressure from enjoying almost each minute of a 38-game season.

So, who may they signal?

Arsenal chasing competitors for Saka

The Gunners have been making an attempt to signal one other proper winger for a while. Solid your minds again to the summer time of 2022 and you may bear in mind their alleged chase for Raphinha.

On the time, the Brazilian was enjoying for Leeds United however ended up at Barcelona. Pedro Neto was of curiosity and he nonetheless is in keeping with some studies.

Nevertheless, a brand new goal on their shortlist is PSV Eindhoven attacker Johan Bakayoko. That is in keeping with Dutch journalist Rik Elfrink who reported earlier this week that the switch workforce at Colney had lodged an enquiry to determine the supply of the participant this summer time.

Stories earlier this 12 months prompt that the Eredivisie membership may very well be holding out for a charge within the area of £51m for his providers.

So, what may he add to the Gunners aspect?

How Bakayoko is much like Saka

Final season the 21-year-old was in wonderful contact within the Netherlands, scoring 14 objectives and supplying the identical variety of assists throughout all competitions.

Bakayoko’s position on the pitch? He performed all 47 matches on the proper flank. Bakayoko’s footedness? Left. You’ll be able to already begin to see the primary pillars of similarities rising.

However there should be extra to it, proper? Properly, with the assistance of analyst Ben Mattinson we will paint the total image. Talking concerning the Belgian expertise on social media, he as soon as stated that Bakayoko is “one of many profiles in Europe who’s probably the most much like Saka.”

These are constructive indicators certainly for a younger ahead who he additionally described as “explosive” within the remaining third.

So, what does the info say? Properly, we have the solutions.

In the case of their inventive play and goal-scoring they’re kind of on the identical stage, notably making a really comparable variety of progressive passes each 90 minutes. In actual fact, the way in which they get the ball up the sphere is certainly one of their most placing attributes.

A move is taken into account progressive if the gap between the place to begin and the subsequent contact is a minimum of 10 meters nearer to the opponent’s aim or any accomplished move into the penalty space.

Everyone knows good Saka is in one-vs-one conditions however Bakayoko seems to be even higher on this regard, making an obscene variety of progressive carries each 90 minutes. For context, he ranks within the high 1% of wingers who play in leagues of an identical stage to the Dutch high flight for that very statistic. He’s an elite dribbler and one who would little question match into the Arsenal workforce like a glove.

A carry is taken into account progressive if the ball is moved in the direction of the opponent’s aim a minimum of ten yards from its place to begin or is carried into the penalty space.

So, though Saka would have a rival this can be a transfer that might profit the membership’s assault extremely properly.

Whether or not it is Kai Havertz or, dare we are saying it, Viktor Gyokeres up high, they might thrive alongside the Belgium worldwide.

Gyokeres has been linked slightly relentlessly with the membership during the last week or so with some studies from Portugal even suggesting a £76m deal is on the verge of completion.

Signing these two gamers, due to this fact, can be a dream. All you need to do is think about the dazzling skills of Bakayoko alongside the Sporting striker’s elite goalscoring skills.

Final time period, the Swede discovered the web on 43 events. Including that stage of firepower with a scintillating ball service such because the PSV sensation can be fairly one thing.

Arsenal scored fewer objectives than Man Metropolis in 2023/24 however these two may properly give Arteta the arsenal – pardon the pun – to lastly get the higher of his good pal Pep Guardiola.