Arsenal have ‘agreed’ to sign new Bukayo Saka

Mikel Arteta has achieved so much at Arsenal since taking up the job almost six years ago.

He completely transformed the club’s culture and displayed a level of tactical flexibility that most managers could only dream of.

But the other thing he probably doesn’t get enough credit for is how he’s kept the team moving and continuing to evolve.

Since December 2019, his squad has undergone a number of changes, almost consistently finding upgrades or replacements for players such as Aaron Ramsdale, Granit Xhaka, Kieran Tierney and even Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

It now appears that he and the club are making long-term plans, with reports suggesting they are close to signing a great youngster who could be Bukayo Saka’s eventual successor.

Arsenal closing in on Saka’s successor

Arteta has built a squad full of international superstars at Arsenal, some of whom are considered world-class. But when it comes to the club’s most important player, Saka is hard to ignore.

After all, on top of his already frankly ridiculous 76 goals and 73 assists in 280 games, Hale Ender is the talisman of this team and the face of the project.

In other words, the club will need an extraordinary special talent to join when Saka finally finishes the job and be his long-term successor.

Fortunately, it seems like North Londoners have just discovered that special potential.

At least that’s according to a recent report from ESPN, which revealed that Arsenal have agreed in principle to sign phenomenal winger Edwin Quintero and his twin brother Holger.

The 16-year-olds are reportedly currently in London finalizing the details of their move, with a formal announcement expected at a later date.

However, due to foreign-born youth regulations, the pair will not actually join the team until August 2027.

Still, Arsenal fans should be excited about this development. Because the two teenagers are certainly highly rated and Edwin Quintero looks like the man who could be Saka’s successor.

Why Edwin Quintero could be Arsenal’s next Saka

Now, it goes without saying that with Saka being the player he is now and Quintero being only 16 years old, there is little to no chance of the youngster immediately challenging the Englishman in 2027.

But as the year goes on, he starts to get more minutes with the first team and then the real battle could happen there when he’s in his early to mid 20s and the Hail Ender is in his 30s.

That may seem silly at this point, and it may seem like too much pressure to put on such a young player, but people familiar with the matter say Quintero could be something truly special.

Respected analyst turned Como scout Ben Mattinson, for example, described the teenager as someone with “the ability to manage the game and create something out of nothing” and “vision for identifying runners”, which is very similar to the Gunners’ talisman.

Furthermore, U23 scout Antonio Mango described the winger as an attacker who is “always looking to make a change” and who “prefers to play on short pass-and-move principles”, but who can still be incredibly dangerous from a distance.

And to take the hype around this prospect to another level, respected talent scout Jacek Kulig said the 16-year-old was “one of the most exciting prospects I’ve seen in recent years,” labeling him a “huge talent” in the process.

Now, it’s clear that his passing, vision and game-changing ability make him look like Saka in his younger days, but he also has better traits than the Englishman. That’s talent.

Indeed, Mattinson points this out, claiming he is “very skilful and always using his sense to deceive defenders”, with Mhango also highlighting his “excellent close control”.

After all, Saka has been, and will continue to be, Arsenal’s most important attacker for quite some time, but the club appears to have found his long-term successor in Quintero.