Power and performance buff like Mane and Sterling. He doesn’t have their frightening pace but his strength on the ball and all-round durability is unbelievable.
—Premier League teams have been taking turns at double marking and kicking him to shit. Still shines.
—He has a great right foot, too.
—His first standout trait was the quality of his crossing. He whips it with great pace and purpose and it’s mostly accurate.
—His second standout trait was the quality of his dismarking movement. He gets the ball and loses his marker with a turn, side-step, pace, body feint etc.
—His third emergent trait was his extreme intelligence. He plays like a perfect game station baller. Never loses composure. Always chooses the most progressive option. And always occupies the right places.
—His fourth emergent trait was his ability to slip in through the lines.
—His fifth standout trait is how he never stops moving. He attacks space like a dog, even after playing a pass.
—He is a genuine sponge, a brainy athlete of the highest order. Arteta put him on the right and in 3 months, he mastered effective new dribbling angles from scratch.
—He is a big game player. His composure, decision-making, athleticism and general quality makes him perfect for the pressure of the big occasion. Manchester United was his first big-game kill. Then Leicester. Then Liverpool. Then City. Then Chelsea.
—He is a creative/progressive player, first and foremost. At LW and LB, he ran so many games for Arsenal, usually playing the pass before the assist. Arteta magnified his tendency to run into space as an outlet on the right. He is destined to be the complete profile attacker.
—He has every type of pass and delivery in his locker. Crossing from the byline from both left and right? Easy peasy. Out-to-in crossing from the halfspaces to either back post? Easy. Crossing from deep? Pass from the halfspaces to an overlapper on the outside or to a ST inside?
Combination play around the box? A switch from one flank to another? His delivery is impeccable and I don’t know why.
—His ball-striking technique is tops. Strikes the ball clean and true with either feet.
—His running style is reminiscent of Raheem Sterling, long legs whirring.
—His strength on the ball is reminiscent of Mane, bounces through challenges and still carries the ball through.
—Most people expected him to challenge Alphonso Davies for the young fullback throne. Now most see him as one of the most complete winger-profiles in the world.
—He is also regarded as a potential world class player in the LCM ‘David Silva’ role. He is unstoppable when he plays in the left halfspace.
—He has not yet settled as a finisher. Once he ‘patterns’ finishing, it is game over. Ends up as a mixture of Di Maria, Sterling and Mane.
—Bukayo Saka almost never plays a bad game. Avid fans will say that his England performances are quite average for him. At his best, he genuinely has the gravity of a superstar. He wins penalties, gets denied, wins it again, toys with 5 opponents in the box when he gets angry.
—He is an elite physical prospect. He is an elite technical prospect. He is an elite mental prospect.
And most fans will tell you that his biggest asset is his intelligence and maturity. Personally, I believe that he is the best mental prospect in Europe, with Pedri second.
Bukayo Saka is a rare, one-of-a-kind player who has the potential to become a genuine, world-class player in as many as 4 different roles stretching from the defense to the midfield to the forward zone.
There is no other golden prospect like this in Europe. I expect him to stay as a RW because that’s the most impactful role and become top 3 in the world there.
Right now, I see him as a Top 3 RW in the EPL. He is literally perfect with his only letdown being his unfamiliarity in front of goal.
Agboola Israel