There’s nothing like a bit of healthy competition at Arsenal…
Wait one second. I’m not possibly about to tell you that 18-year-old Bukayo Saka is a more important player for Arsenal than Alexandre Lacazette, am I? No, of course not. That would be a bold claim, to say the least.
Lacazette is one of Arsenal’s most important players and he is one of the reasons why they have no issues going forward for the next few seasons. He is currently fighting a comeback from an injury which the Gunners thought they would feel the wrath of a lot more.
However, Bukayo Saka has come in and ensured Arsenal haven’t felt the impact of Lacazette’s dismissal. The 18-year-old emerged through the youth ranks and he has slotted right into life at London Colney.
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Saka was exceptional in Arsenal’s recent match with Manchester United. He provided the assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with a well-timed through ball. He also played a man of the match performance against Frankfurt in the Europa League, scoring a terrific goal.
Saka already seems like a mature player and it doesn’t look like there is much room for development, although with time this will obviously be the case. He is fast and skilful on the ball while having the footballing intelligence to know when and where to pull off a pass.
That said, he will continue to push for his place in the starting XI. It’s hard for a player of this age to secure a regular place in the team sheet but Saka has the ability to do so with consistent performances.
That said, Lacazette may have a harder time reincorporating himself into the starting XI than he would have liked. It goes without saying that Aubameyang will not be getting benched this season and if Saka carries on playing the way he does, then Lacazette will have to prove his worth to Unai Emery.
To clarify, I’m not saying that Lacazette won’t make the starting XI. Of course, he stands a very strong chance of doing so given all his fabulous work for Arsenal in the past. However, I’m saying it would be unjust to boot Saka out of the XI, so it will be interesting to see who wants it more.
Do you think Bukayo Saka will be a regular feature in the Arsenal starting XI from now on?