The last two decades may not have been the most successful, but Arsenal were still lucky enough to have many incredible players.
Players like Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez all saw their time in N5 end on a sour note, but they were nothing short of electric at their best.
The latter two, in particular, have felt like truly world-class talents during their time at the Emirates, and it would be fair to say that neither of them have been replaced – until now.
In fact, a talent inside Mikel Arteta Today's team seems to be single-handedly trying to recreate their production this season.
Ozil and Sanchez's Arsenal careers
So, before we get into the player in question, let's remember how good Özil and Sanchez were at Arsenal, starting with the latter.
He joined the Gunners for approximately £35 million in summer 2014and to say it was an instant success would be a colossal understatement.
In his first season, the Chilean international found the net 25 chances in just 52 games and provided 12 assists to start a campaign which saw the north Londoners win their second FA Cup in as many seasons.
In total, the former Barcelona star achieved a staggering score 80 goals and provided 44 assists in 166 appearances for the club before making the infamous choice to join Manchester United in January 2018who saw his abilities in front of goal take a sharp nosedive and completely eviscerate any goodwill he had with the Arsenal faithful.
On the other hand, Özil was virtually kicked out of the club by Arteta and Co. in January 2021and as such, there is still a bit of love between him and the Emirates fans, although, given his incredible performances for them, it is no surprise.
In the years following his club record Deadline move worth £42.4m in September 2013, the World Cup winner scored 44 goals and provided 75 assists in 254 appearances, clearly being the more creative of the two players.
That said, who is the current Arsenal player looking to emulate their duo?
Arsenal's modern Ozil & Sanches hybrid
So it's probably reasonably clear at this point that the player in question is Bukayo Saka.
The Hale End icon is fast becoming an undeniable superstar at Arsenal, and although he has been brilliant in recent seasons, he appears to have taken another step forward this year in terms of ability and attitude, which sees him stepping into roles. Ozil and Sanchez filled the club.
Now the way he imitates the first is twofold. The first is that, as the German was during the early years at the club, the Englishman is now undoubtedly the poster boy for the Gunners and the face of the project.
The second reason is the incredible rate at which he is providing assists this season, as in just 13 Premier League matches he has already taken ten and seems almost guaranteed to surpass that of the German record of 20 in one season.
Plus, it's not just something he does this season, like in his 245 senior appearances for the clubthe 23-year-old phenom has racked up 61 assists, and considering he spent a good portion of his career at left back and was moved all over the pitch, it's a brilliant return.
Saka's Arsenal record |
|
---|---|
Appearances |
245 |
Begin |
217 |
Minutes |
18915' |
Goals |
65 |
Aids |
61 |
Implications in goals per match |
0.51 |
Minutes per goal involvement |
150.11' |
So let's move on to Sanchez, and it's a much easier comparison to understand, because, like the Udinese ace, the Gunners' “future legend”, like dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulighas become a reliable outside goal scorer.
For example, just this season he has already scored seven; last year, it was 2 p.m.and overall it has 65 in his name in the first team.
Ultimately, while he may not be as flashy as either of them, Saka shows he can become a supreme goalscorer like Sanchez and a passing king decisive goals like Ozil, and all this from an academy product – talk about hitting the jackpot.
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