Arsenal: Bukayo Saka quickly supplanting Reiss Nelson

Arsenal’s winger situation could go with an infusion, and while Reiss Nelson looked to be the solution, Bukayo Saka is quickly supplanting him.

Going into this season, I don’t think anyone was questioning who the most exciting prospect at Arsenal was – it was Reiss Nelson, hands down. Not only did he play a position of dire need, but he did it exactly the way we’d want him to. He was fast, quick-footed, and creative, all rolled into one.

And when he went to Hoffenheim and shot up the Bundesliga scoring charts, that belief was reinforced. Nelson was real, he was going to fix everything when he came back home.

Out of nowhere, up shoots 17-year-old Bukayo Saka. From the moment we first saw him, it was clear that he was special, as he has crazy speed, fantastic dribbles, and he knew how to make things uncomfortable for opposing fullbacks. He was a sight for sore eyes, as on the senior team, we were starved of wide attackers like him.

But no one would have put him above Reiss Nelson, that would have been crazy. Saka was showcasing at the youth level, Nelson was impacting at the senior level with Hoffenheim.

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Things are changing though, in this supposed tug of war. Nelson has tapered off at Hoffenheim and was recently benched for disciplinary reasons. He hasn’t scored since he netted his quick six to start the season, and there have been questions asked regarding his ability to convert his youth-level abilities to the senior side like he did in the preseason.

Meanwhile, Saka can’t be stopped. It seems like each time he takes the pitch, he gets better. The lad is insatiable, he’s unstoppable, he has a hunger for the game that isn’t satisfied with goals or assists. He wants to do it all. Most recently he was the difference maker for the England U19 side, providing a goal and assist.

It will be interesting to see what happens this summer, because it will go a long way towards establishing the pecking order, if Nelson will be trusted with a first team slot, or if the way will be paved for Saka, who, by seasons end, could have boosted his stock even more.

Obviously Nelson hasn’t lost all credibility, there were always going to be growing pains, but staving off someone as talented as young Saka was always going to be a difficult ask.