Bukayo Saka: How Good Can He Become?

[SingmeasongSong]

Our academy is strong right now and hopefully we can get a couple of players up to the first team!

Saka is the one Ornstein mentioned as our big talent and Saka is also the one who I've been big on since last season. Didn't expect him to get the call up to the seniors this season which tell he is rated very very highly by coaches that are all wiser than us.

About Nketiah, I don't understand people who say he lack technical ability. He has demonstrated this two games he has played this season that he has it all, technical and even dribbling ability, he works harder for the team than Auba and Lacazette combined, he can link up and moves well. The only thing missing so far is his biggest ability at under age levels and that is scoring goals. That will come naturally for him with more game time.

About Willock then he has been our best player at u23 level, we are talking about a total domination not just in terms of physicality like some who don't watch u23 games think but also positional and tactical terms. He is full of energy, press, wins the ball and drives teams forward. And he hasn't been that bad in the two final games in the EL. He scored goal and while he could have done better attacking wise in the second game he played he was defending very well and pressing very well.

I'm very excited by the wealth of talent we are seeing from the academy!

I dont question the wealth of super talents we currently have at disposal, for which I would certainly add Reiss and Amaechi as well, but rather the ability/non-ability of our management and leadership to take benefit of it.

They will just screw it up again with the worst loans possible, a lack of playing time in the first team coupled with letting contracts run out etc.

 

[Maybe]

The Academy isn't that strong. There 3 or 4 key players without whom they struggle to win games. Checkout their winless run when Saka, Willock and Nketiah were with the first team.

On another note, I'm surprised Iliev is still with the Academy Maybe when Cech leaves at end of season, he'll be promoted to first team.

Edited: Just remembered this is Saka thread not Academy thread. Apologies

That isn't completely true. We are in a process now of shipping our best academy talent on loans and to the first team. There will be a gap now until new generation comes up and that's the part where you are right. It's the strongest academy in the country currently if you put them all together.

 

[9jagooner]

When you say 'our best academy talent', you make it sound like we are talking about 5 to 10 players when it's only Saka, Nketiah and Willock and even at that, of those three, we need to wait to see which one will be good enough to make the right impact for us in games.

I have watched the team play in a few games this season, we look ordinary compared to some other teams. Derby County youth team gave us a good lesson of football the other day. I watched that game live by the way.

 

[9jagooner]

The academy is very strong. You have to consider how many players come through it and that if you produce 1 first team player per season it is a massive success.

This group is unique for several reasons. Nelson is on loan and developing while contributing. The ones who are at the club, Nketiah, Willock, ESR, Amaechi and Saka have already outgrown youth level, and show signs they are physically ready. Saka has debuted in the Premiership at 17. There is something brewing with this lot and as much as Emery is under pressure, he is the right manager to give these guys a chance.

You can say there's potential but I still do not agree that the academy is strong. None of the players you have mentioned is contributing at any level to the first team. Which of these players would you confidently play ahead of any first team player in a game that matters?

Compare to when we had Wilshere, Szczesny, Vela and even Bendtner in the academy. These were players we saw in the academy but who you would also expect to fit right into the first team in games at ages 16,17 and 18.

We've seen too many 'potentials' way better that the current bunch at Arsenal academy who end up not making it. I think we need to give them time before coming to the conclusion that 'our academy is strong'

 

[Maybe]

You can say there's potential but I still do not agree that the academy is strong. None of the players you have mentioned is contributing at any level to the first team. Which of these players would you confidently play ahead of any first team player in a game that matters?

Sometimes I have a feeling that this forum is a big waste of time.

Do we need to have a Sancho type of mistake here for you to understand?

 

[9jagooner]

Well see it whichever way you want. I doubt if ManCity will agree selling Sancho was a mistake. If he was still at City, I doubt if he would get games and it's not as if they are lying in 5th or 6th position. Bottom line, they don't miss him.

Tell me one 'Sancho type of mistake' we have had over the past 10 years? I imagine you mean a player who has done well in our academy and who has moved on to better things because we did not give him a chance in the first team. If the players are good enough for the first team, they will play. At the moment, let's not get carried away. Playing in the first team requires more than skills. You need to be able to impact games on a regular basis.

Anyway back to the initial discussion on the strength of our academy (at least the U23), there's a reason why we are 7th out of 12 teams on the league table

 

[9jagooner]

Back to Saka,
I like Saka a lot. I like a lot and I pray to see him regularly in the first team some day. At the moment, he should just enjoy his game and the opportunities he gets. Chris Willock was at a higher level than Saka before he moved to Benfica (still expecting great things from Chris btw). So Saka needs to be patient. With the right attitude, he'll get there

 

[Maybe]

Well see it whichever way you want. I doubt if ManCity will agree selling Sancho was a mistake. If he was still at City, I doubt if he would get games and it's not as if they are lying in 5th or 6th position. Bottom line, they don't miss him.

Well that is the issue, we are not City, we don't fight for anything. They can afford to lose player that is now worth over 50m, but we surely can't. If we give chance to 2-3 youngsters we can't lose much, at worst we'll be 6th but I think we'll get there anyway.

Playing in the first team requires more than skills. You need to be able to impact games on a regular basis.

Can you please name me those players from the first team (other than Torreira, Laca and Auba). Take 3 of them out of the team and you get a bottom table squad, but you are still sure that we can't integrate new young players instead of these losers in the first team!?

 

[MutableEarth]

Keeps getting better.

 

[grange]

Sometimes I have a feeling that this forum is a big waste of time.

Don't respond to posters who can't even set an avatar. They're like unseasoned chicken.

 

[HBL]

Don't respond to posters who can't even set an avatar. They're like unseasoned chicken.

Fight me.


For the record, I know how to do it. You've just given me a reason not to.

 

[9jagooner]

Well that is the issue, we are not City, we don't fight for anything. They can afford to lose player that is now worth over 50m, but we surely can't. If we give chance to 2-3 youngsters we can't lose much, at worst we'll be 6th but I think we'll get there anyway.

Can you please name me those players from the first team (other than Torreira, Laca and Auba). Take 3 of them out of the team and you get a bottom table squad, but you are still sure that we can't integrate new young players instead of these losers in the first team!?

I never said we can't integrate. What we are doing with them right now is integration ie playing them in league cup and available Europa league games. Saying that they should be played ahead of current players in the first team in regular league games? I don't think they are ready for that.

You guys are the same fans who will castigate these players once they have one or two bad games. Iwobi, Maitland-Niles are two very recent examples. Go to their threads and see. These are players from our academy!

Wilshere, Szczesny were consistently hitting top ratings first in the academy and then on loan before fitting then establishing themselves in the first team. Bellerin at Watford, Coquelin on several loans before making the first team consistently (and even he was considered not good enough eventually). How many loans did Bendtner go on before establishing himself in the team?
And I'm not saying they ALL have to go on loan, I'm only saying they still have a lot to learn and bossing it at U23 is not enough.

I have followed the academy long enough and I want many of these guys to make it at Arsenal. But I also know fans are very vicious and will turn on them once they lose consistency. They have a lot to learn beyond skills and talent and I think the manager is going about it the right way.

 

[9jagooner]

Well that is the issue, we are not City, we don't fight for anything. They can afford to lose player that is now worth over 50m, but we surely can't. If we give chance to 2-3 youngsters we can't lose much, at worst we'll be 6th but I think we'll get there anyway.

Can you please name me those players from the first team (other than Torreira, Laca and Auba). Take 3 of them out of the team and you get a bottom table squad, but you are still sure that we can't integrate new young players instead of these losers in the first team!?

Also, this reason is exactly why we cannot rely on untested academy players. If we had City like players who finish off games in the first half, then we can talk about playing out academy players. Right now, we play our BEST players. Whether we like it or not, Willock will not play ahead of Xhaka or Torreira or eve Maitland-Niles (if he plays in the middle) and Saka WILL NOT play ahead of Iwobi or anyone else that plays in that role. Imagine needing a goal against Chelsea and manager brings in Nketiah who goes on to miss a golden chance last minute. Imagine the insults he'll get here. Akpom's refusal to pass the ball in an ordinary friendly is still referenced here.

IF Arsenal FC declares that they are too poor to bring in at least 2nd rate players to fill in areas where we are lacking, then we can talk about playing our academy players and also expect the consequences i.e. downgrading to Watford levels (all due respect to Watford). At the moment, we are not in that position. At least not in my opinoon.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Who knows how good he can be, we won't know until he plays first team games vs serious opposition and see how he responds. It's alright doing well in the under 23's and in the odd Europa League vs farmers but we won't know about his mentality, his ability to cope with and perform under serious pressure against quality opposition.

 

[truth_hurts]

Saka possesses a lot of the attributes that our squad lacks at the moment. He isn't ready to contribute to the first team yet though in my opinion. Must be highly rated if he's being named in match day squads. It's been a long while since we've had academy players impacting, think Wilshere and Ashley Cole; Emery has shown with Ghendouzi that if you are good enough, you are old enough.

I can see at least 2 of Saka, Nketiah, Nelson, Willock and Smith-Rowe being mainstays of the team for years to come.

 

[HairSprayGooners]

 

[A_G]

One of the players I’m most looking forward to watching this preseason.

 

[al-Ustaadh]

Keeps getting better.

With the Thierry Henry celebration.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

I think he'll get involved alot in first team use him and Nelson to rotate for right wing.

 

[Tourbillion]

This kid is pretty much physically ready, right?