Even though he missed almost four months of action, it would be fair to say that Bukayo Saka was one of Arsenal’s best players this season.
It shouldn’t have been much of a surprise, though, as the Hale End superstar has been getting better seemingly year after year for some time now.
However, even so, his tally of 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 appearances this year was nothing short of remarkable, and had he been fit for more of it, the Gunners might have run Liverpool a lot closer in the Premier League.
So, fans should be incredibly excited about recent reports linking Arsenal with a young wonderkid who’s been compared to the talismanic number seven.
Arsenal transfer news
Before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at a couple of the other brilliant players linked with Arsenal in recent weeks and months, like Ademola Lookman and Karou Mitoma.
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The former could be available for around £55m this summer and would be a great addition to the Gunners’ squad, as in 40 appearances for Atalanta this season, he has scored 20 goals and provided seven assists.
Mitoma, on the other hand, could end up costing as much as £80m, and with a tally of 11 goals and four assists in 41 games, he might be less appealing of a target, even though he’s tried and tested in the Premier League.
However, neither of these wingers can be classed as a young up-and-coming wonderkid like Kenan Yıldız.
Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are now interested in the tremendously exciting Juventus gem.
Interestingly, the report reveals that much of this interest stems from the soon-to-be-hired Matteo Tognozzi, who was a scout at the Old Lady and was the man who discovered the talented Turkish ace.
However, if the Gunners are to get their man, they’ll likely have to match the Italian giant’s asking price of up to €80m, which converts to about £68m.
It would be a lot to spend on someone so young, but given Yıldız’s immense ability and potential, this is a transfer worth fighting for, especially as he’s been compared to Saka before.
How Yıldız compares to Saka
So, before we get into some of the other reasons Arsenal should be signing Yıldız this summer, it’s important to examine this comparison to Saka and where it has come from.
Well, in this instance, it stems from FBref, which looked at players in similar positions in last summer’s European Championships, before creating a list of the ten most comparable players.
By doing this, it concluded that the Englishman was the third most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Turkish wonderkid in the entire competition.
Expected Assists
0.11
0.11
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.20
0.20
Passing Accuracy
83.65%
83.8%
Shot-Creating Actions
3.65
3.30
Goal-Creating actions
0.26
0.47
Tackles Won
0.53
0.57
Blocks
1.05
1.00
The best way to see how this is worked out is by taking a look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including but not limited to non-penalty expected goals plus assists, expected assists, tackles won, blocks, passing accuracy and more, all per 90.
However, while a comparison to someone as brilliantly talented as the Englishman is certainly encouraging, it’s not the only reason the Gunners should be looking to sign the young Juve ace.
For example, the “special talent,” as dubbed by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, can play almost anywhere in attack, from both wings to attacking midfield and even up top.
Moreover, despite being 19 for most of this season, the Regensburg-born prospect scored seven goals and provided five assists in 35 appearances, which comes out to a pretty decent average of a goal involvement every 2.91 games for someone so young.
Ultimately, while it would be a lot of money, Yıldız looks like he could be one of football’s next great stars, and for that reason, Arsenal should do what they can to sign him – the comparison to Saka is a nice bonus.
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