There have been few greater comeback stories in world football over the past decade than Bukayo Saka’s rise at Arsenal.
In the summer of 2021, Saka was the victim of disgraceful racist abuse after missing a penalty during England’s penalty shootout loss to Italy at Euro 2020. The deplorable actions towards not only Saka but Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho could have easily curtailed any young career.
Instead, Saka has used the obscene incident as a fuel to come back stronger than ever before. This summer, he rescued England in the European Championship quarter-final clash with Switzerland but his heroics that day pale in comparison to what he is achieving for the Gunners.
In the past two seasons, Saka has managed to record 25 combined goals and assists in the Premier League and has already notched up ten in his opening ten fixtures in the top flight this season. And yet despite this remarkable show of strength and resolve, Saka continues to be unfairly looked down upon.
The continuing discourse revolving around Saka is whether or not he is ‘world class’, but this effectively meaningless title undermines how good a player he is. Just because the 23-year-old has not won a Premier League, Champions League or international trophy, does not mean his progress can be overlooked.
That is why I was shocked to spot former Manchester United defender Paul Parker declare that former Arsenal man Emile Smith Rowe is in fact a better fit for the Gunners at this present time. “I think players like him [Emile Smith Rowe] are what Arsenal need more than [Gabriel] Martinelli and Saka,” he told bettingexpert.com.
“Saka is a bit overrated and he always seems injured, especially if Arsenal is behind in a match. Him [Smith Rowe] and Odegaard together would have been a great duo, but again, I think it was the right decision for him to leave, and also for Arsenal at the time, even though things might have changed now.”
The ‘constantly injured’ Saka has missed just one Premier League match this season, three in the last campaign and played the entirety of the 2022/23 top flight season. This is all while making impressive contributions to the team.
Smith Rowe will always be welcome back at the Emirates Stadium but the truth is, injuries derailed his career in North London and when he did feature, he was not contributing at the same rate as Saka. This is by no means intended as a slight on the 24-year-old, who has enjoyed a good start at Fulham, but simply put the two men are not comparable.
Like all elite sportspeople, Saka will know he has areas of his game to improve. However, Parker seems to be forgetting how vital the England international is to Mikel Arteta and just because the form of the whole team has dipped does not undermine how crucial he is.
Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel
Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london’s dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!
By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.
To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!
If you’re curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.
