Has Bukayo Saka proven he is England’s best winger this season?

Bukayo Saka

Has Bukayo Saka proven he is England’s best winger this season?

By James Reid

It is easy to forget that Bukayo Saka is just 20 years old, such is the meteoric rise of the young forward.

 

Saka is already approaching 100 Premier League appearances and has 14 caps for England, including becoming a pivotal part of the Three Lions’ run to the final of Euro 2020. 


But where does Arsenal’s No.7 rank amongst Gareth Southgate’s other wide options, six months from the World Cup in Qatar? 



Healthy competition 


For what feels like the first time in a long time, England finally have a plethora of options in wide attacking areas.


Long gone are the days of central midfielders and strikers being pushed out wide, meaning Saka has plenty of competition for one of the starting berths. 


Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford all took up wide positions in Euro 2020 with clubmate Emile Smith Rowe recently called into the squad too. 


Many of these are top Premier League players who provide Southgate a real headache, and it means Saka may find himself lower down the pecking order than he would in other eras. 



Premier League form 


However, while Saka may be less established than many of his rivals on the wing, there are few that can match his form in the Premier League. 


Saka has been one of Arsenal’s best players this season, if not the best, with 11 goals this season with two games still to play. 


Sancho, Grealish and Rashford have all struggled domestically this season, though Sterling and Foden have both impressed for an imperious Manchester City side. 


It has led Saka to be nominated for both the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, a resounding reflection of the esteem in which his performances mean he is now held. 



Southgate’s trust 


The other factor is the faith Southgate holds in Saka, and his rival wide men. 


It is another area in which Saka belies his age, with the England manager regularly turning to the Arsenal ace over other players, in part due to his consistency and versatility as well as the quality of his game. 


Saka became a pivotal part of England’s run to the final of Euro 2020 alongside vastly more experienced colleagues like Sterling despite having few caps, as others such as Foden fell out of favour. 


Foden often looked uncomfortable out wide, whereas Saka fits Southgate’s system seamlessly, meaning that while perhaps other players may be preferred in other scenarios, Saka is hard to top. 



England’s best winger? 


Despite England’s embarrassment of riches in wide areas, it is hard to argue against Saka being one of the Three Lions’ very best. 


Sterling is still probably first choice for Southgate as he both regularly performs for City and rarely lets England down, but Saka cannot be far behind.


Sancho certainly has the potential to be England’s best but has struggled with form, while Grealish and Foden look slightly more awkward out wide than operating more centrally in Southgate’s system than under Pep Guardiola. 


All this means that while Saka may not be England’s very best just yet, he is certainly in the conversation and it may not be too long until he is one of the first names on the team sheet. 


Photo Credit: Getty Images

Popular posts from this blog

What have we learned from Arsenal's pre-season so far?

Image
  Arsenal – what have we learned from pre-season? By Jack Lacey-Hatton It only feels five minutes since Euro 2020, but incredibly we are just one week away from the new Premier League season starting. Arsenal will travel to newly promoted Brentford for a London derby in front of a noisy crowd next Friday night, not the easiest of starts to the new campaign. But what sort of shape are Mikel Arteta’s side in, going into what could be a defining season for the manager? We took a close look at what we have learnt from the pre-season period and what kind of shape the squad are in.   The new signings are ready to go It has been a mixed transfer window so far. Some fans would have expected more both leaving and arriving at the Emirates stadium over the summer. But positives can be taken - Ben White has arrived from Brighton for £50million, and highly-rated full back Nuno Tavares has come in from Benfica. Albert Sambi Lokonga completes the 2021 summer singings so far. Cruc...
Read more

Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves

Image
Transfer Profile: Ruben Neves By Jonny Bray It is hard to believe that Ruben Neves is still only 25-years-old.   It feels as if the Portuguese international has been tipped for big things for nearly a decade now.  With the midfielder out of contract in 2023, it appears his time at Wolverhampton Wanderers could be coming to an end.  Understandably, with a player like Neves on offer for a reduced price, clubs around Europe are queueing up to secure the international's signature.  So, after all this time, should Arsenal move for Ruben Neves now, or is it time for the Gunners to turn their attention to a new target?  What would he bring?  Arsenal do not have enough defensive midfielders.  Martin Ødegaard, Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka give Mikel Arteta plenty of midfield options going forward, but the Gunners have been found lacking when out of possession this season. Thomas Partey has been in and out of the side due to injuries, a fact that has not hel...
Read more

Where will Arsenal finish this season?

Image
Where will Arsenal finish this season? By Alec McQuarrie Arsenal have made steady improvement over the last few seasons under Mikel Arteta. After finishing 8th in his debut season, the Spaniard oversaw a five-point improvement in his first full campaign.  And last year an eight-point leap followed, which was unfortunately not enough to pip Tottenham to fourth place.  Cruelly, the 69 points accumulated would have been enough to seal Champions League qualification in the previous two seasons.  Looking at the trajectory over the Arteta era, it would be fair to assume a continued improvement this coming season.  After all, with five signings already secured this summer and Alexandre Lacazette the sole first-team player to depart, surely fourth place should be a bare minimum expectation.  Oleksandr Zinchenko offers much-needed cover at left-back and competition for central midfield.  Gabriel Jesus is a proven goalscorer and brings a tireless work-ethic to fulfil...
Read more