Arsenal star Bukayo Saka’s title message to his team-mates after Wednesday’s loss to Manchester City speaks volumes about his mentality. The winger played his part by scoring a penalty but Mikel Arteta’s side went down 3-1 at the Emirates.
Saka has arguably been Arsenal’s player of the season so far. Many forget he is still only 21 years old but he has started every single Premier League match so far this term.
He has eight goals to his name and only Kevin De Bruyne has registered more than his eight assists in the top flight. Saka kept his nerve after a long wait to equalise from 12 yards against City.
However, the defending champions came out the better team in the second half and scored twice in the final 20 minutes of the game. Arsenal drop off top spot for the first time since August, though do still have a game in hand on City.
Saka stepped up on the big occasion as he so often has but the same could not be said about many of his team-mates on the night. Arsenal players may understandably be deflated after the loss to their closest rivals in the table.
However, Saka has insisted they must not give up. He posted a picture of himself from Wednesday’s game on his social media accounts, simply captioned: “Keep believing.”
Saka is the epitome of what Arteta is trying to build. A young, talented player willing to continue to work on areas of his game and stand out on the big occasion.
He has now scored against Manchester United, Liverpool (both twice) and City this season. No other Arsenal player can boast the same ratio in front of goal against some of the top teams in the league.
Saka could become the best graduate from the club’s academy this century. Some may say he has already surpassed the likes of Jack Wilshere.
He is an absolute gem and is surely in for a long career at international level as well. Arsenal need to tie him down to a new long-term contract, with his current deal expiring in 2024.
Pep Guardiola is an admirer of Saka and would be interested if he became available. His departure would hurt Arsenal fans more than any player who left during Arsene Wenger’s time in charge.
