Arsenal’s Teenage Talisman

Whether it has already begun or is slated to start in the summer of 2021, Arsenal will soon be in the throes of a massive rebuild. With several senior players set to leave the club next summer and several more likely to be sold, a substantial overhaul of the current roster is on the horizon. Many personnel decisions will need to be made, both in terms of who’s leaving and who the club will sign. But the most important part of the rebuild might have already been completed: guaranteeing that Bukayo Saka will have a role to play in it.

The 19-year-old finished 2020 with 15 assists, the most of any Arsenal player last year. His last assist came during the match against Brighton. With the game in a 0-0 deadlock, Saka took matters into his own hands. He took advantage of a matchup against Dan Burn and turned on the jets, speeding past the Brighton defender and racing fifty yards or so up the pitch before smoothly laying the ball off for Alexandre Lacazette in space, who struck an excellent shot into the bottom corner. That goal would prove to be the winner. Saka would have finished the day with another assist, but the close-range chance he created for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was kept out.

In the match prior to that, Saka found himself played into Chelsea’s penalty area and popped the ball over Edouard Mendy into the far corner of the goal to make it 3-0 for Arsenal. While it is reasonable to conclude that Saka had probably meant to cross to Gabriel Martinelli at the far post, the young Englishman had been a star of the the show for much of the match. Just before halftime, he had won a free kick right outside of Chelsea’s box after getting fouled by N’Golo Kante. Granit Xhaka would put this spot kick in the top corner of the net to make the score 2-0. Interestingly, Saka also seemed to become the player primarily in charge of dead balls throughout the match.

And now against West Brom, Saka scored once more, this time assisted by Emile Smith Rowe after a passage of play that was vintage Arsenal. Aside from his goal, Saka once again terrorized the opposition from the right, beating players on a regular basis and making things happen for his team. Of note is an excellent chance he created for Aubameyang at the back post, who was once again unlucky not to score. If it had not been for outstanding performances from Kieran Tierney and Smith Rowe, Saka might have earned another Man of the Match award for his performance at The Hawthorns.

In the 25 months since Saka made his first competitive appearance for Arsenal, he has featured a further 65 times for the club. Throughout that span, he has played almost everywhere on the pitch. From left wing to left back to left wing-back to left-sided central midfielder, Saka has shown remarkable versatility for such a young player. He even has apparently impressed in a No. 10 position in training. Now he has seemingly made the right wing his own, putting in multiple Man of the Match performances from that position and working better with Hector Bellerin than anyone else has. His displays have been so convincing that he has likely displaced both Willian and Nicolas Pepe, who are actual specialists in the position. Saka’s ability to adapt almost effortlessly to new positions and perform brilliantly is part of what makes him Arsenal’s most important player.

Yes, Bukayo Saka is the most important player at Arsenal Football Club. Still just a teenager, the young Londoner has established himself as a talisman of the side. The number of players on the roster whose importance is comparable to Saka’s can be counted on one hand. Thomas Partey’s absence has demonstrated how vital he is to the functionality of Arsenal’s midfield. And Bernd Leno’s continued fitness is now a top priority after the disasterclass Runar Alex Runarsson put on in goal against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup. Kieran Tierney also deserves to be mentioned here, as any injury to him would likely require Saka to fill in at left-back and would thus weaken our attacking output. But there ends the list of players who an injury to would rival the impact of losing Saka for an extended period of time. Most Arsenal fans can attest to this as well. Whenever Saka has gone down with a knock during a match (which terrifyingly has happened a few times recently), social media timelines become filled with Arsenal fans going into full freak-out mode. It demonstrates just how much we need him on the pitch.

As Mikel Arteta said after Saka signed his new deal with the club, “He is the player that represents every value that this football club stands for.” Off the pitch, he remains humble despite his meteoric rise. Unlike other English players, he avoids being caught in embarrassing situations that land him in negative headlines. On the pitch, he is focused and hard-working. While there have been a few games this season in which things didn’t come off for him, Saka can never be faulted for his effort. He is confident despite being on the field with players he grew up watching, remaining relaxed and not letting pressure get to him. But perhaps his most defining trait is his fearlessness. While other players at Arsenal are clearly scarred by past failures, Saka is constantly one of the more daring Gunners on the pitch, always playing with energy and trying to make things happen. It’s that lack of fear that leads to things like his assist at Brighton, his goal against Chelsea, or that performance against Eintracht Frankfurt that first announced his readiness for top level football.

“Being brave is key.” That’s what Saka himself says. It’s a refreshing statement from an Arsenal player given that the club has been lacking in people willing to take responsibility. Between his phenomenal talent and infallible consistency, Bukayo Saka long ago established himself as a vital part in Arteta’s Arsenal side. But what truly sets him apart as the most valuable part of this rebuilding side is the example he sets on the pitch. His bravery is indicative of a footballer who will feature at the greatest heights of the sport. His tranquility under stress will also serve him well if Arsenal become competitive again in the near future. But these characteristics will soon lead to a third important quality: leadership. Arsenal need a player to build their next team around, a player to lead it to glory. Bukayo Saka has burst onto the scene at exactly the right time, making an undeniable case for why he should play that role. If he keeps performing the way he has since the very beginning, it’s hard to see anyone else entrusted with that responsibility.

If Arteta’s rebuild is to be successful, it will need a cornerstone of a player. Saka, who at only 19 years of age is one of the best players in the squad and possesses more maturity than many of the veterans at the club, is primed for just that role. Despite his youth, he is the player the club should treat as its talisman. Because that’s what Bukayo Saka is. If there is any sense within the Arsenal hierarchy, Saka will become the face of the current project before long. And as he continues to make fans proud and grow as a player, that hierarchy should consider themselves lucky. One of the hardest parts of rebuilding a team is finding the player to rebuild it around. With only a few months remaining before the start of a tumultuous upheaval of the squad, Arsenal have done that. The next task is giving him a proper team to lead.

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