“He’s definitely better than Martinelli and currently on the same level with Saka but Arteta’s ego won’t let him start this talented kid”: Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has discovered Martinelli’s perfect replacement who’s on the same level with Saka, but fears Arteta’s ego won’t allow him to give the kid a chance
Bukayo Saka has blossomed into one of the very best players in the world at Arsenal.
Saka is a world-class player at this point, but it wasn’t always supposed to be this way.Indeed, Saka wasn’t an over-hyped young player like many of his peers.
Ethan Nwaneri was an almost household name at the age of just 15, while Max Dowman is a name many Arsenal fans will know, and he’s only 14.
Saka wasn’t spoken about in the same sort of terms as a youngster, and speaking to the BBC, Thierry Henry has been discussing his time with Saka as a coach in the academy.
Henry says that there were three players in the academy who were supposed to be better than Saka, but the winger has surpassed all of the expectations.
The three Arsenal youngsters who were supposed to be better than Bukayo Saka
Henry spoke about his time coaching in the Arsenal academy.
The Frenchman says that Donyell Malen, Reiss Nelson and Chris Willock were all more highly-rated than Saka in the academy.
“You then coached current players, like Bukayo Saka, in the academy,” Henry was asked.
“Yeah, I mean look, at the time I was in the academy, people were talking a lot about Chris Willock, the brother of Joe, Reiss Nelson and Donyell Malen. Bukayo was good, but he wasn’t the talk of the ones that was in the academy, you know, and that’s why I have mad respect for Bukayo,’ Henry said.
What happened to Donyell Malen, Reiss Nelson and Chris Willock?
Saka wasn’t supposed to be the breakout star of this academy generation, but he’s surpassed any of Willock, Nelson or Malen.
Indeed, these three players haven’t quite managed to have the career that Saka has had.
Of the three players Henry mentioned, Donyell Malen has had the best career so far.
Malen has been starring for Borussia Dortmund for a little while now, while he’s played in a Champions League final too.
Malen has been linked to Manchester United recently, and while he’s doing very well, he’s not quite at the level of Saka.
As for Nelson, he’s never quite broke into the Arsenal first-team, while Chris Willock is one of the better players in the Championship right now, but he’s not fulfilled the potential he showed at Arsenal.
Saka has worked incredibly hard to get where he is today, and he deserves tons of credit for his development.
