There has been thousands of rumours about big-money players that Arsenal could buy, but all of our talk of possible departures have mostly been for for our unwanted or out-of-favour reserve players.
Except for one man of course, our incredible ‘Little Chili’ Bukayo Saka, who has reportedly extremely well-liked by the Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp as a possible replacement for the Reds superstar Mo Salah, who will be 30 years old when the next campaign begins.
The ex-England striker Kevin Phillips, who is the only Englishman to ever win the European Golden Show, thinks that Saka would fit in well at Liverpool. “I think Saka will get better and better,” Phillips told Football Insider. “He’s still a young kid, he’s done a lot already in his short career.
“I think he’s an unbelievable talent and I think, moulded in the right way, he’ll turn out to be a top-class player. Whether he can go to Liverpool, if that was to happen, could he emulate what Salah’s done? It’d be very, very difficult for any player to do that.
“But he’s certainly got the attributes and qualities that he possibly could join Liverpool and replace Salah. Let’s not forget, Salah didn’t tear it up early on at Chelsea. For Saka, he’s developing all the time.”
There is no doubt that Saka would bring in a massive transfer fee which Mikel Arteta could use well to buy a few more much-needed players to strengthen our young Arsenal side.
But today, according to the English Daily Express, Manchester City are also taking a strong interest in the 20 year old.
We all know that Saka is Arsenal through and through, but if you were in his position, how could you not be flattered that the two best teams in the world right now are keen on acquiring him. Can you imagine the wages that would be on offer if City and Liverpool got into a bidding war, not to even mention the effect it would have on Arsenal’s transfer coffers.
Could this be beneficial for Arsenal or should Arteta hold onto Saka at all costs?
Darren N
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
Video – The Transfer Show: Alfie and Daniel discuss the potential midfield signings for Arsenal this summer
Learn more about Arsenal’s proud history – Decade by Decade CLICK HERE to visit our new Arsenal History section
I remember Spurs sold Bale for 90m about 150m in today’s money and blew the lot on 5 new players. They all failed and Spurs were no better off. If we were on the verge of bankruptcy or 19th in Januay maybe otherwise zero chance of selling a 19 year old academy product on the verge of world class. Besides we are not short of money. TV rights, sponsorship, shirt sales, ticket sales, huge salaries off the book, 12 more games this season and a rock solid billionaire owner underwriting purchases the club can well afford a 15m RB, 30m DM, 30m AM and a 45m Striker.
Not quite true, they all failed except Eriksen. The fact the club didn’t make good use of the cash doesn’t change the fact they got a lot of money for a player who had already decided to leave.
Liverpool sold Suarez and Coutinho and brought in Alisson and VVD….then won the EPL and UCL
Easy to only use a bad example
I love to play but please don’t joke with my Saka, he’s Arsenal,
Well if we were to sell him, they should be ready to offer between £90m and £110m,
Or Pool/Man City could offer us Luiz Diaz / Rodri with £60m 😁😁
No need to open discussion for any offer below £150m!
Come on for £80mil we got White and Ramsdale. Saka is worth a lot more than that.
We are certainly not that desperate for money to fund transfers!
We shouldn’t sell and don’t need to sell, but there’s always a risk losing players to better clubs. If he’s not willing to sign a new contract we should sell.
If I’ve learnt anything in the 50 or so years supporting arsenal it’s that if a players wants to leave he will, I never thought Stapleton, Brady or George would leave but they did and we got over it. It depends on the make up and love for the club that a player has. I’m sure O’Leary and Adams had plenty of better offers to leave but they stayed because they love the club. Offer Saka an extension and if he doesn’t want to sign and stay then we have no option but to sell him.
👍👍
👍Marty, however unfortunately some players have been helped out the door by Arsenal, if the money was right, whether the player wanted to stay or not.
This will be a true sign of how Arsenal will conduct themselves and if we’ve learnt anything in the last 2 decades. No player is irreplaceable and we need to start learning that if a player does want to leave that we shouldn’t drag it out for years as we always have.
If he is interested in going then sell him immediately for a large sum of money. Do not force him to stay because then his performances and value drops as he gets closer to the end of his contract which he won’t renew. This has been our biggest weakness and the exact reason why teams like Liverpool have a lower net spend than us but we trail far behind still.
Also I’m not sure if injured or fatigued(zero rotaion) but I noticed a significant drop in Saka’s form in the last few months of the season.
You’re right,he looked fatigued at times towards the end of the season.
👍👍over played.
Who would you buy if you sell Saka. Why can’t we sell Pepe, Torreira to buy that player you want than sell Saka.
Maybe no one wants to buy them ? Generally the players you want to keep are the ones other clubs want to buy.
Saka? Liverpool? Pool is a mean club, they don’t pay. If Glearish go for 100m, Saka will go for 200m. Is the agent and parents driving this to make some money.
Not really sure what Saka is worth. Yes he’s good, but better than say Kulusevski who plays in the same position ? Spurs got him for £25m and they haven’t even paid that yet. So £100m for Saka ? It would be a very good fee if he doesn’t want to sign another contract.
I don’t think you can question Saka’s commitment and love for the club but I would be surprised if he signed an extension this year.
He is a very intelligent boy and knows we can compete with anyone when it comes to salaries but he is driven to be the best of the best so ultimately it boils down to success on the field.
If he can do that with Arsenal, he will probably stay but realistically he cannot wait for ever and the next season is crucial to keeping our better players.
If we are in the same position as we are now then I would not be at all surprised if the dreaded ‘Little Boy Speech’ rears it ugly head again this time next year within Saka, ESR and Martinelli camps.
FROM Saka, ESR and Martinelli camps.🙄
I am convinced that Arsenal will fight to keep SAKA and surely we ALL hope that too. However, we need to accept that even players we love and admire and however long they have ben here even since litle kids, are not fans above being professinal footballers with a career in front of them.
A general misconception by a number of, shall I say “LESS WIDE PICTURE THINKING FANS”is that they cannot separate their belief that players are predominanly fans of the club they play from, from the REALITY that players are PROFESSIONAL players, with a present and future career as their man aim and ambition.
Of course a player can be both a fan and a pro with a natural love for the club he grew up with. It would be odd if it were otherwise. But GROWING UP, is the key thing that matters .
When I was a young child I kept several scrap books with pasted in newspaper reports and esp pictures of our matches and players. But I grew up and, as with all humans, my tastes and activities developed and I left what I then loved, BEHIND, FOR EVER. This is normal and natural and we should not be – even though many of us will be -surprised or bitter that 20 year old superb, delightfully modest players also change their lives.
I do not say that it will happen, only that IF it does, we should not be surprised and the responsible job of a manager of age 40 is to know this and plan for it, IF it happens.
Ultimately, IF Saka firmly wishes to leave , all we can do is get as huge a fee as possible for his remaining contract. And if his advisors guide/ tell him not to extend or sign a new contract, even for a far higher wage, then there is nothing PRACTICAL that our nor any other manager can do to alter that REALITY.
So in time, whatever will be will BE! LIKE IT OR NOT!
If Saka wants to leave then away you go young man, nobody is bigger than the club and you may fetch a record fee also to which we can use but will lose a star in Bakayo.
If he’s Arsenal through and through then we have nothing to worry about
Except Sean, the big “worry” is, does Arsenal have the commitment and funding to match Saka’s ambition?
AFC should not sell Saka at any cost and least so to Liverpool. Additionally, Liverpool is just having a blip and will not maintain this. In a season or 2 Liverpool will be back to where it belong. Just another top 5…..6 team… This will not be an upgrade for Saka
Wow, can I borrow your crystal ball? Sounds like it knows what will happen in the future.
So when exactly does Liverpools blip begin? I need to know so I can have a bet on it?
If Grealish is worth 100 million then Saka is worth 120-150 million, no messing about put up or shut up, how do Man City fund their transfers?, why did the FFP stop investigating them?, how comes the German media have a heap of evidence which is taken in by UEFA
Hutchinson is rumoured to be even better at the same age, so a possible replacement and at no cost, although not quite ready for PL for at least another season. Possibly switch Martinelli to the right and get more games from Smith Rowe.
I would guess that realistically Saka would bring in £80 million right now, but we would probably push for more.
why switch GM when we got Pepe, he hasn’t be given enough chances.
Are we keeping Pepe? He seems to be on everyone’s hit list.
A wasted talent, whose abilities some will only see when he shines for another club, which knows how to utilize him.
Every modern footballer and/or manager has a price whether or not they have proffessed ‘love’ for the club they are in. If Pep leaves Man City and they offer the position to MA does anyone believe he will say no? Similarly if they come for Saka with a huge signing on fee and a mouthwatering salary would he turn them down? I think we all know the answers!! As an example, Kane would have gone to Man City last season but for the stubborn Levy putting his foot down. We should do the same regarding Saka but will just have to see what happens.
two things
(1) what’s the f***ing point of this supposed youth-oriented “rebuild” if you sell your best young asset
(2) I wouldn’t trust this manager-in-training or his Brazilian sidekick to properly spend any monies secured from just such a deal
👍
Let’s get it straight saka has no chance of winning prem or champions league at Arsenal a player of his quality should be playing on the biggest stage so would not blame him one bit for leaving would tell him don’t do a Harry Kane stay at one club and win nothing all your career! Hope his career goes from strength to strength and he wins plenty of trophies whoever he ends up at!!
If City offered Jesus, Sterling, Gundogan and Zinchenko, for Saka would it be a good deal?
Personally I think it would replace Saka and fill the problem areas of our side. I know we would lose one of our own, but hey a deal like that would drag our team back into the real world
Wow, so many opinions. Obviously a divisive issue as it should be. There are four key points mentioned above that resonate. If a player wants to leave they eventually will, Can we trust those two to spend the money wisely. What is the point of a youth policy if it’s only to fund a money ball type franchise and finally Jon Fox’s comment that after initial disappointment, life goes on and we will find new heroes.
I think it all depends on the player. If Saka is offered a new contract with very good terms and yet he refuses to sign that means his mind is set somewhere else and there is no point in keeping him blocked. If Saka is really Arsenal through and through he would want to stay and fight for titles with the Club. Lets leave it to the player. However, if he is sold, I hope MA and Edu invest it wisely in players who would really take the team to a higher level.