Saka shows Arsenal why they must sort new deal NOW
Robin Bairner
- 6 Mar 2022 11:01 CST
- 3 min read
Bukayo Saka is to be offered a new Arsenal, one that will mean that the attacker spends the next portion of his career at the Emirates Stadium and, crucially, his club have a strong foundation to build from in the years to come.
The 20-year-old's performance on Sunday when he produced a man-of-the-match showing in the 3-2 win at Watford illustrated just how important it is for Arsenal to get this deal done.
Saka scored one, made one and ran riot down the right-hand side in a victory that took Arsenal up into fourth and looking very good to qualify for the Champions League.
With a deal that expires in 2024, there had been fears that the attacker would start to become vulnerable to transfer approaches from this summer.
Saka is clearly one of Arsenal’s greatest assets, having scored eight and set up five more in the Premier League already this season. He is the club's joint top-scorer with nine goals in all competitions, while only Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe have more than his six assists.
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Arteta, meanwhile, has confirmed that Saka that discussions are planned.
“It is a conversation we are going to have with the player, then his agent, his family — [talks] which are going to be extremely important as well — so everybody is on board,” he said after the recent 1-0 win at Wolves.
What. A. Player. pic.twitter.com/qKr3sNMbfH
— Gurjit (@GurjitAFC) March 6, 2022
The new deal will reflect Saka’s dramatically elevated status since signing his last deal in 2020.
Perhaps the most important thing that such a contract extension will do is send out positive messages about the Arsenal project. If such a prodigious young player is willing to commit his future to the club, it says that their plans are on track.
Saka's incredible potential
Saka, meanwhile, does not just pass the eye test. Statistically he is also one of the Gunners’ outstanding players this season.
According to data analytics company SciSports, he is presently the club’s second best player but crucially has the potential to become a key player for any club in the world. Indeed, it is suggested that there are only a handful of players anywhere in the world presently active who have the capacity to exceed him.
Arsenal, then, are shrewd for tying Saka down to a new deal so rapidly. If January was disappointing for them, this is the ideal news before the summer.
