After an encouraging start that saw them navigate some particularly intimidating fixtures away to Manchester City and Aston Villa, Arsenal’s season is starting to come apart.
Mikel Arteta’s side are winless in their last four Premier League games and sit in fourth place, four points behind City and nine behind leaders Liverpool.
Overall, the North Londoners just haven’t looked themselves over the last month or so, and unless something drastic changes, their chance of lifting the title come May seems all but over.
However, while the doom and gloom are near enough impossible to ignore, there are still some positives, such as the performances of one of the club’s most important players, someone who’s seen his valuation explode under the management of Arteta.
Arsenal’s recent PL results | |
|---|---|
Opposition | Result |
Chelsea | 1-1 (D) |
Newcastle (A) | 1-0 (L) |
Liverpool (H) | 2-2 (D) |
Bournemouth (A) | 2-0 (L) |
Southampton (H) | 3-1 (W) |
Arsenal’s top performers
So, before we get to the player in question, let’s look at the next best performers for Arsenal this season, by goals and assists, that is.
Coming in at number three is Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli, who is having an odd season so far this year.
The former Ituano gem endured a disappointing campaign last year, in which he could only muster up a tally of eight goals and five assists in 44 games, and while he’s undoubtedly doing better this year, he can still be frustrating.
For example, in his 17 appearances thus far, the 23-year-old has scored three goals and provided three assists, meaning he’s already just about on track to beat his haul from last year.
Yet, at the same time, there have been more than a few moments in games where it feels as if he’s holding onto the ball for too long and constantly making the wrong decision.
The North Londoners’ second most productive player so far this season has been Kai Havertz, who has also had a few frustrating moments here and there but has generally performed well enough.
The former Chelsea ace has made 15 appearances so far this season – 14 of which have been as a striker – in which he’s scored seven goals and provided one assist, equating to a reasonable average of a goal involvement every 2.12 games.
However, he cannot hold a candle to Arsenal’s most productive player this season, a player who has seen his valuation reach incredible heights under Arteta.
Arsenal’s valuable superstar
So, as you might’ve been able to guess by now, the Arsenal star in question is, of course, Bukayo Saka.
He might not be the flashiest of players or have the most exciting highlight reel.
Yet, when it comes to being an effective attacker, there are few better than him, as evidenced by his impressive haul of four goals and seven assists in 15 appearances, meaning he’s averaging a goal involvement once every 1.36 games this season.
Saka’s Arsenal record | |
|---|---|
Appearances | 241 |
Minutes | 18578′ |
Goals | 62 |
Assists | 60 |
Goal Involvements per Match | 0.50 |
Minutes per Goal Involvement | 152.2′ |
When you consider his performances this season, alongside his outstanding overall record of 62 goals and 60 assists in 241 senior appearances for the Gunners, the explosion in his valuation over the years begins to make a lot more sense.
For example, according to Transfermarkt, the Hale End “monster”, as dubbed by journalist Mark White, was worth just €13m – £11m – around the time Arteta took charge in December 2019, and since then, their valuation of the England international has grown practically exponentially.
Just three years into the Spaniard’s reign, in December 2022, they priced the North Londoners’ sensational poster boy at €100m – £83m – for the first time, and now they consider him to be worth an astonishing €140m – £116m.
That means the era-defining academy graduate has seen his valuation soar an astronomical 954% under the tutelage of Arteta, and while things aren’t looking rosy for the Gunners at the moment, we’d be surprised if that number doesn’t just keep on rising.
Ultimately, there are plenty of incredible players in this Arsenal squad, but none are as crucial to the team or project as Saka, and his current valuation is just a representation of that fact.
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