Arsenal: Bukayo Saka start the perfect encouragement

Arsenal head coach Unai Emery handed Bukayo Saka his first Premier League start after an excellent performance against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League. Such a decision is the perfect encouragement for other young players.

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend of mine. He was an excellent footballer as a kid, a part of one of the professional academies in England. He made it to the under-18s of that particular team and was seen as a potential player for the senior team.

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But then the senior manager changed. A new coach took over the first team and the youth ranks were almost entirely neglected during his period in charge. Only three academy graduates were offered professional deals. My friend was not one of them. He subsequently left and took up a college scholarship in America.

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This is not a unique tale. There are plenty of young kids who come close to making it as a professional player. But as is often the case, that crucial period from 16 to 21 scuppers their hopes and dreams. In this example, it was one specific coach who killed the progress of several young prospects.

My friend has since spoken about the lack of hope that many of he and his teammates had about ever forcing their way into the senior team. They felt as if they were ignored, never even vaguely considered. Under the previous coach, they were regularly involved in first-team training. He played in reserve matches. There was a sense of progress, a target to aim for, and that the club was helping you to attain that target. But not under the new regime.

On Sunday, Arsenal head coach Unai Emery handed 18-year-old Bukayo Saka his first-ever Premier League start. It came after Saka started in Thursday night’s Europa League win over Eintracht Frankfurt. Saka was extremely impressive in that victory, scoring a terrific goal and assisting the third goal. He was rewarded for his performances with a Premier League start.

By making this ballsy selection, Emery is providing encouragement to every single young player at the team. He has told them, ‘if you play well, work hard in training and impress in matches, you will be given chances to feature in the Premier League.’ Unlike for my friend, there is hope because of Emery’s coaching approach.

So for the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, who also played against Frankfurt, and Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, and now Rob Holding and Calum Chambers and even Tyreece John-Jules, they are quite aware of the rewards on offer. They have a carrot to chase after. They are not being ignored.

Whether Saka played well against Aston Villa or not did not really matter. Even the fact that he was withdrawn at half-time is not all that significant, other than to win that specific game. Emery was willing to start him. For every other young player at the club, there is no bigger encouragement than that.