Mikel Arteta has backed Bukayo Saka to emulate idol Cristiano Ronaldo by becoming a world-class centre-forward.
From Hell’s End product to global superstar, the 23-year-old Arsenal winger’s evolution has taken most people by surprise – even within the club.
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Used as a left-back in the early stages of Arteta’s Emirates reign, he made his first senior debut six years ago this week.
His first appearance at the age of 17 was in a 1–0 Europa League win at home against Qarabag under then boss Unai Emery.
Saka is now a world-class winger and unbeatable starter for Arsenal and England, joining the same conversation as the best ever.
But boss Arteta believes it is only a matter of time before he follows in the footsteps of the great Ronaldo and moves from wide to a more central No. 9 role.
Ronaldo – now 39 and at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr – made his name at Manchester United as a winger.
The Portuguese became one of the game’s greatest goalscoring strikers at Real Madrid.
Asked if he could envisage a similar path for his talisman, Arteta said:
“We are thinking about these things.
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“It will depend on the qualities of the players around him. For someone to be on the inside instead of on the outside, someone has to be on the outside.
“That player, the full-back, the attacking midfielder and the number 9 have to be given space to do that.
“But I’m definitely ready to develop players.”
With two goals and an assist in the Gunners’ 3-0 Champions League win over Monaco on Wednesday, Saka now has 21 goals in 21 games in all competitions this season.
Since the start of last season in the Champions League, only Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane (18) and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior (16) have been involved in more goals than Saka’s 14.
And with ten assists and five goals this Prem campaign, he tops Europe’s big five leagues in assists – more than Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal (9) and Liverpool’s Mo Salah (8).
On what Saka’s goalscoring targets should be, Arteta added: “We always set targets. The idea of scoring 30 or 40 goals is fine but how do we do it?
“How will we put together a plan to try to develop the player and give him the best possible chance to make sure he is able to do that.
I’m definitely ready to develop players.
mikel arteta
“Sometimes it’s a role, sometimes it’s a position on the pitch and sometimes it’s other things.
“When the timeliness of the understanding of games and places and how they move in relation to each other is strong, freedom should increase.
“The decision-making process is going to improve because they understand it better. This will create uncertainty for the opposition and they now have more freedom than before.
Earlier speaking about his admiration for Ronaldo, Saka explained: “I like his mentality. He always wants to be the best, always works hard on and off the field.
“He is one of the best players to ever play football. He is unique.
“We are two different players but I always try to watch him and learn good things from his game.”
Fellow academy graduate Miles Lewis-Skelley, 18, made his Champions League debut against Monaco.
And the rookie left-back could make his first Prem start at Everton’s home ground tomorrow, with fellow teenage sensation Ethan Nwaneri, 17, on the bench.
Full-backs Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ricardo Calafiori are absent with muscle problems, but Brazilian centre-back Gabriel is in contention to return.
I like his mentality. He always wants to be the best, always works hard on and off the field.
saka on ronaldo
Arteta says he is in a better position to give debuts to young stars because of his “incredible” Gunners dressing room.
In contrast to the toxic group he inherited after taking over as boss in December 2019.
The Spaniard said: “They may be ready – but then that team, the dressing room, the context at the moment is not right…
“The work has now been completed and it is extraordinary what everyone has done and now they have the right environment.
“The way they take care of them and make them feel.
“The leap is huge but they are showing they are capable of doing it.”
How to stop Arsenal on corners
Arsenal have become a fantastic team when it comes to scoring goals from corners.
The Gunners have scored 22 goals since the start of last season – seven more than their nearest rivals Manchester City and eight more than Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Two of those came against Manchester United – Jurien Timber and William Saliba netted in the second half to give Mikel Arteta’s men a vital win as they chased down Arne Slott’s Reds.
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were the architects of their deliveries, and each now have seven set-piece assists since the start of the 2023/24 campaign – more than any other player.
United legend Dimitar Berbatov joked that Arsenal are the new Stoke City of the top flight – a team led by Tony Pulis who terrorized the so-called “big clubs” with set-piece mastery.
Here are four ways to stop Arteta’s side from taking corners