Arsenal: Bukayo Saka development reminiscent of Matteo Guendouzi

Arsenal have high hopes for Bukayo Saka, which is a good thing, given the suddenly accelerated rate of his maturation and development.

Bukayo Saka burst on the prospect stage for Arsenal last year, and was making the odd first team appearance by year’s end, showcasing some of the exact things we’ve been dying to find—speed, drive, dribbling and innovation.

He has gobs of all of that and then some. But he also had ants in his pants. He was over-eager, unnecessarily urgent, and therefore a bit reckless. It’s not the first time a young player has looked so eager to make an immediate impact and it won’t be the last.

Just earlier in the year, Matteo Guendouzi showed the same thing. He had fantastic ability, but his over-eagerness led to awkward situations and surrendering possession for no reason. He would drive recklessly forward, and thus his flaws became apparent.

Those flaws were pretty much eradicated by the end of the season. He looked a brand new player, with control over the ball, patience, an eye for the killer pass, but still the drive when the opportunity presented itself.

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This preseason has allowed us to see a lot of young Gunners, and Bukayo Saka remains among the handful of the most exciting guys, though for me, what I saw in the preseason made him jump to the most exciting, because it looks like he’s following the same path that Guendouzi did. That over-eagerness has turned into a calmness. He doesn’t feel the urge to constantly and recklessly press forward.

He’s composed.

Especially against Real Madrid, even with the match on the line, he was calculating, not blind. He kept his position over the ball and waited for openings. If they weren’t there, then he tried to make something happen.

It’s always exciting when you see clear improvements in young players like this. I know I harken back to Guendouzi for literally everything, but he set such a clear example of what can happen if you trust in a talented young player. And Bukayo Saka looks to be another guy who may follow a similar path, if only we give him the opportunity to do so.

We have so many good, young wingers, that it’s starting to get a bit crowded, but that’s a good problem to have. Even so, Saka has to be the one with the most natural ability. And the guy’s only 17.