Morning! My first blog in over a week.
For a long time, SheWore.com became a daily blog. But in recent months it became a bit of a grind to find content every day. I always said that if there was nothing to write about, I would just have a coffee and get on with my day. But in the last couple of years I became obsessed with the “streak” of writing day in day out.
In recent weeks life has got very busy. And on top of that there has been very little Arsenal related news to write about. And I will never be one of those who merely copy and paste’s quotes from the club, without bringing anything fresh perspective to what was said.
One topic that does make me chuckle is that of Bukayo Saka.
I honestly think he is the best right winger in the world right now. I struggle to name someone else who is doing what he does consistently. Perhaps Mo Salah. But he is now 32 and clearly on the decline.
You know Saka is top level because he is the one all rivals try and compare their players too. Meanwhile, we never compare Saka to anyone. We Just sit and appreciate his ability.
Brennan Johnson is the latest to get compared to Saka following a little purple patch where he has scored 6 goals in 6 games. This makes him one of the highest scoring wingers in Europe, and has led Spurs fans to put him on the same level as Saka. Delusion at its finest.
It will probably surprise many, but Johnson is 4 months OLDER than Saka. This highlights both what an exceptional talent Saka is, and what an average career Johnson has had.
Johnson’s exploits at the weekend saw him take his Premier League goal scoring tally to 16. That is not 16 this season. Or this calendar year. It is 16 in his entire career. 16 is also how many Premier League goals Saka got last year.
What makes Saka special is his consistency. Johnson is in the best form of his life, a fantastic 6-game spell, and he is only matching what Saka has done week in, week out for the past 3 seasons.
Over the years we have seen Manchester United fans try and compare Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Alejandro Garnacho to Saka. Manchester City fans continually talk about Phil Foden v Saka. Tottenham comparing Dejan Kulusevski. And more recently Chelsea fans spend their days making a case that Cole Palmer is better.
Meanwhile, us Arsenal fans just there quietly and take it all in. We know there is no debate to be had. No need to make a case for Saka being on their level because we all know he is above them. And Saka does his own talking on the pitch. He does not need fans to bring out statistics and make a case for him.
The debate right now amongst fans should be Foden v Palmer.
Both are City graduates. Both are number 10s who have been played on the wing for much of their career. Both left footed. And Palmer left Manchester City because of Phil Foden being ahead of him in the pecking order.
I like both players, but neither is a world class number 10.
Palmer is clearly a fantastic goal scorer, but he can drift through games and is quickly becoming one of those “if he does not score he does not do much else”. Meanwhile, Foden has always played second fiddle at City. Whether that be to Kevin de Bruyne, David Silva or Bernardo Silva. I do question whether he has what it takes to be the main man.
Saka is the main man at Arsenal. And when not scoring or assisting, he is always involved in the game. The best attacking and defensive work-rate in the league, he influences the game in more than just goals and assists. Very few, if any, wingers in the modern game put in the shift he does, and also get the goals and assists he does.
It is incredible that Saka is still only 23. That is younger than Foden. Younger than Johnson. And just 1-year older than Cole Palmer.
New players will continually be compared to Saka following a purple patch. And that is because Bukayo is the best of the best. He is number one. The man that everyone wants to be when they grow up.
Enjoy your Tuesday.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 