Former Premier League owner Simon Jordan has his doubts about whether Bukayo Saka will ever become a ‘world-class’ player despite the winger’s outstanding season at Arsenal.
Will the England international become the ‘second coming’ of an Eden Hazard, for instance? Or perhaps another Raheem Sterling? Will Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka blossom into a great Premier League forward, rather than a very, very good one?
One-time Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has his doubts.
“A lot of my mates (who are Arsenal fans) think he is going to be the second coming. I have my reservations,” Jordan tells talkSPORT.
“I think he might follow the path of Raheem Sterling and be a very good player but not be the world-class, world-beater many think he might be.”
Is Bukayo Saka going to become a ‘world-class’ player at Arsenal?
It’s fair to say Danny Murphy, who played top-flight football for Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and Charlton Athletic, sees things differently.
Saka, Murphy argues, has everything in his locker to follow in the footsteps of Arsenal icons Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and co. This is, after all, a player who scored 13 goals and set up 11 more for a title-chasing team, long before his 22nd birthday.
“What is his ceiling. I look at him with his ability, his strength, his quick feet, his two-footedness, his goals and assists. Where can he go?,” Murphy asks.
“When you look at the best right wingers scoring the most goals – (Liverpool’s Mo) Salah is the best example – can Saka get another 20, 25 per cent out of himself and start hitting 25 goals and 15 assists?
“I think he can.”
Saka was rewarded for an exceptional campaign this week; signing a new, long-term Arsenal contract until the summer of 2027.
“I’m just really happy,” the academy graduate smiles. “There’s been a lot of talking and it’s been a while, but I’m here now. I think this is the right club, the right place to make the next step. It’s a beautiful club – look where we are.
“For me, it’s about achieving my personal ambitions; how much I push myself and demand from myself each game, week in, week out. Then I have all the right people around me in terms of family, and when I come to the training ground, my teammates, the coaching staff.
“I think I have everything I need to become the best player I can be, and that’s why I’m happy to stay here and be here for the future, because I really believe that we can achieve big things.”
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