Martin Odegard’s injuries certainly snatched a glow, but it was a great weekend for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta.
Gunner completely missed West Ham United and beat the manager’s 300th game 2-0, with Liverpool sitting on the Premier League table after losing on Sunday.
However, it wasn’t a milestone match for the boss as Bukayo Saka made his 200th league appearance against the Hammers and produced 100th league goal involvement.
Hale Ender has been the face of Arsenal for several years, and although he has received a lot of acclaim full-time, it was another strong show from one of his teammates, who claims to be one of the best signatures of his Emirates era.
Saka’s 200 Premier League match
Saka made his Arsenal debut under former manager Unai Emery in November 2018, replacing the game with Ukrainian side Vorskla Poltava. He then made his full debut for the club at home with Caraba a few months later.
However, his first Premier League appearance came on New Year’s Day 2019 when he left the bench with Fulham.
The British did not appear again at the competition until the following season. He started for the first time, taking off at halftime after taking 45 minutes against Aston Villa after Ainsley Maitland Niles was sent off.
Impressively, the 24-year-old’s first league goal involvement marked the next match against Manchester United.
Three more assists will come before Hale Ender finally scores his first goal in a game against the Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The involvement of nine goals in 32 games actually improved in the next campaign, but in the 21/22 season, the Talismanic winger began to show he could do for the rest of the league.
The Ealing-born monster scored an impressive tally of 11 goals and seven assists in 38 appearances, choked up his first brace with a 5-0 slap at Norwich City on Carrow Road.
Naturally, England International has become an increasingly important threat to targets as the seasons progressed. Last year he missed almost four months of action, but managed to generate 17 goal involvement in 25 league appearances.
Additionally, last season he managed to generate four goal involvement in just 74 minutes of action in a match against West Ham at London Stadium. Goal and 3 assists.
Saka’s PL Records | |||
|---|---|---|---|
season | game | the goal | assist |
18/19 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
19/20 | 26 | 1 | 5 |
20/21 | 32 | 5 | 4 |
21/22 | 38 | 11 | 7 |
22/23 | 38 | 14 | 12 |
23/24 | 35 | 16 | 12 |
24/25 | twenty five | 6 | 11 |
25/26 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
All statistics through the transfer market | |||
Overall, there’s still plenty to come from Saka, but he’s already established himself as one of the best in the Premier League over the years.
However, there is another Arsenal star who shines against the Hammer, and he appears to be another Saka-style star.
Arsenal’s new Saka-style star
The good news for Arteta is that this team has quite a few players who can be classified as his best signature.
But in this example, the player who deserves far more trust than he currently gets, and is like a Saka-style star, is Julientimber.
In the summer of 2023, he was immeasurable to red and white despite the Dutch international joining the club from Ajax for a fee of around £38 million and missing all of the 23/24 season through ACL injuries.
He may not bombard the pitch up and down in the same explosive way as Jeremy Frimon, but the 24-year-old is the back wall, and his achievements have become a more aggressive outlet last year or so.
For example, FBREF is currently ranked in the top 9% of fullbacks in the top 5 leagues of through-ball in Europe, top 10% of progressive passes, top 12% of goal-making actions, and top 12% per 90.
Wood Scout Report | ||
|---|---|---|
statistics | Around 90 | Percentile |
Tackle (to the third) | 0.62 | Top 1% |
NPXG/Shot | 0.14 | Top 7% |
Blocked path | 0.73 | Top 7% |
Pass completed % | 86.5% | Top 8% |
GCA (shot) | 0.05 | Top 8% |
Through the ball | 0.19 | Top 9% |
Tackle (mid-3 days) | 1.08 | Top 9% |
Progressive Pass | 5.95 | Top 10% |
Touch (on the pen) | 2.66 | Top 10% |
Goal Creation Action | 0.38 | Top 12% |
The penalty kick won | 0.03 | Top 12% |
GCA (Take-On) | 0.03 | Top 13% |
Tackle | 2.64 | Top 14% |
All statistics via FBREF | ||
On top of that, the Utrecht-born star has already scored two goals, providing two assists in just seven league appearances this season, with the second assist leading to Saka’s penalty.
But while his continued improvements in the future are certainly a bonus, what makes the Dutch really incredible is his defensive glow, and how the club sees him as “one of the best in the world.”
He is an absolute rock on the right back and always what he did against the hammer.
In his 97-minute action, he made one clearance, two intercepts, six tackles, and won eight out of 12 ground duels. He was a constant object from the first minute to the end.
Now, you may wonder yourself: all this is impressive, but why does it make wood a Saka-style star of Arteta?
Well, simply put, the manager can rely on him to put in consistently strong performances. He just doesn’t disappoint him.
Ultimately, his offensive play improves, and his defensive ability is part of the league’s best performance, and his consistent performance makes it difficult to oppose analyst Ben Matinson when explaining Timber is “one of the best Emirates era signatures.”
