From Hale End schoolboy to Arsenal’s superstar

After Bukayo Saka signed a new contract with Arsenal, football writer Sam Cunningham looks at the winger’s rise from promising youngster to Premier League superstar.

Bukayo Saka was 11 when Luke Hobbs joined Arsenal’s youth team and took charge of the under-12s in the final of a Premier League tournament in Leeds.

To give everyone a fair chance, Hobbs played one team in the first half of the games and another in the second. And that didn’t stop them from reaching the final, where they met Chelsea.

With Saka on the pitch, Arsenal had a three-goal lead at halftime, but Chelsea came back and equalized in the second half.

Hobbs thought, “If I want to win, I have to hand over Bukayo. »

So he started Saka. Then he scored, scored again, then secured his hat-trick and the trophy with a shot into the top corner.

“I remember that moment well, but although he won the game for us, there was no arrogance on his part,” Hobbs told Arsenal’s official website.

From the Hale End schoolboy to the Arsenal superstar who has just signed a new long-term contract, there are few players who can say they have as much Arsenal in their heart and soul as Saka.

He was part of Arsenal’s pre-academy before joining Hale End, the club’s famous academy, at the age of eight on 5 May 2010.

“There is something very romantic about the idea of ​​a child joining a football club and then going from the academy to the first team,” says Andrew Mangan, founder of the popular fansite. Arseblog.com.

“Not like any other player, but as a star player, the face of the project, if you want to call it that, under Mikel Arteta. It’s very special.”

Everyone who worked with Saka across different age groups at Arsenal remembers a young boy who possessed no airs or graces and was a joy to coach.

This first name, given to him by his grandmother, means “God added joy to my life” in Yoruba, the language spoken in Nigeria, from where his parents emigrated.

From the start, Saka showed himself to be a standout performer in his age groups at Arsenal – often playing with the year above to test him.

The coaches held such high regard that one year, when they assigned team numbers alphabetically and Saka was landed with number 3, there was concern that Saka or his father, Yemi, would be upset that such an influential player had that jersey number.

But neither Saka nor Yemi ever opposed anything.

Watch: A young Saka plays wearing the No. 3 jersey

Decision making sets him apart

There was no doubt about the teenager’s attacking talents, but when he played at an age group he often featured at full-back. The coaches spoke to Yemi in advance to make sure he was OK.

Yemi has always had a huge influence on Saka, who said football.london “It keeps me grounded and that’s perfect for a player like me,” so it was important that the family was happy with the player’s progress.

There were some extremely talented older attackers, but the full-backs were heavily involved in the build-up and the coaches felt Saka would benefit from time on the ball and space to dribble.

Trevor Bumstead was Arsenal’s under-16s coach when he worked with Saka and, among a long list of qualities, it was Saka’s intelligence that really impressed him.

“It’s not often you find guys that fast and that good at running the ball and making such good decisions,” Bumstead told the In the tunnel podcast.

“That’s what really stood out to me in terms of Bukayo and his game. He was a fantastic decision-maker.

“He was the type of boy who could beat people. When he was with me in the under-16s he could beat two or three people, but he knew when to beat people and when to pass the ball.

“And that was my highest compliment to him.”

Ljungberg’s influence

Freddie Ljungberg first coached Saka at the under-15s and having a former winger, who won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups at Arsenal, had an influence on the young footballer.

Saka was always asking questions of Ljungberg, an Arsenal legend and had a strong desire to learn.

Ljungberg noticed that Saka was always practicing that extra bit and wanted to see video clips of the weaker areas of his game, to help him improve.

In fact, Saka was often more focused on the things he couldn’t do, or didn’t do so well, than on his strengths.

Ljungberg gave Saka advice on a daily basis. “The best advice he gave me is to stay humble,” Saka said in 2019. Another piece of advice, early on, was to train hard.

It sounds simple, but Saka embraced it, to the point where Ljungberg sometimes had to tell him to rest more, especially when they were playing.

Ljungberg left Arsenal but returned a few years later as head coach of the under-23s and played a pivotal role in Saka’s transition to the first team.

Saka was only 17 but Ljungberg wanted him to play for the under-23s.

Some coaches were reluctant about Saka taking such a big step forward, but Ljungberg insisted.

Ljungberg perfected his pressing and running back on the wing, and taught him the basics of winger play.

Arteta’s ultimate player

Coaches were so impressed with the way the 17-year-old took the step up that he was given a chance in Unai Emery’s first team – against Vorskla Poltava, then earned a first start against Qarabag, both in the UEFA Europa League.

Saka then became the first footballer born in 2001 to play in the Premier League when he made his league debut against Fulham in January 2019.

Watch: Saka’s reaction after debut against Fulham

At the start of the following season – 2019/2020 – Emery had such faith in Saka that he started him against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Aged just 18, Saka made 38 appearances that season.

In December of that year, Arteta replaced Emery and since then the relationship between the two men has been intrinsic to Arsenal’s return to the top of the Premier League table.

“As soon as he moved into that right-wing position under Arteta, it immediately clicked,” Mangan said.

“You could see something a little more about him.

“It’s about the consistency of the end product from a young age. That’s how you can really evaluate attacking players and what they will be capable of.

“If they can do it at 18, 19 and they improve season after season, after that you know you’re looking at someone who probably has a higher trajectory than most.”

Impressive figures

Saka made 278 appearances for Arteta – more than any other player in the six years Arteta managed the club, showing he has become the Spaniard’s most reliable player.

Saka has the most goals – his 76 putting him well ahead of next top scorer Gabriel Martinelli, who has 54 – and the most assists; again his 63 exceeds Martin Odegaard’s 41, the closest.

In a sign of how Saka has become Arteta’s ultimate all-rounder, he created more chances – 483 – took more shots – 594 – successfully dribbled around players more times – 403 – and won more fouls – 459 – than any of his teammates.

“A lot of young players have made the breakthrough from Hale End to the first team, but Saka broke through at what you might call a difficult time for Arsenal, when things weren’t going well,” Mangan said.

“What he represented was the future, a player around whom – not just him – but a player who could be a fundamental part of that future. That’s basically what happened.”

Return to Hale End

Saka is now the poster child for Arsenal’s academy. Idolized by the club’s younger players, he is the example of what can be achieved through hard work, honesty and humility.

And he remains a constant reminder of Saka when players and parents walk through the door at Hale End.

After Saka scored his first goal for Arsenal, in a Europa League match against Frankfurt, he returned to Hale End with a gift for the coaches: presenting them with this special jersey of the evening.

It is now on display in the entrance hall.