Arsenal: 5 players who exceeded expectations in 2019/20

1. Bukayo Saka

Another 18-year-old who has established himself as a deserved and contributing member of the starting XI, Bukayo Saka has flourished under Mikel Arteta. His first moment actually came under Unai Emery. In the Europa League against Eintracht Frankfurt, Saka curled a beautiful shot into the bottom corner for his first senior goal. He then produced an assist just moments later.

But Saka really came into his own when he was asked to fill in at left-back with Arteta forced to turn to the teenager due to injuries to Kieran Tierney and Sead Kolasinac. In an offensively-shifted left-back role that takes advantage of Saka’s development as a winger, the youngster has flourished.

Producing sensational performance after sensational performance, Saka leads the team in assists, leads teenagers in the Premier League with assists, has three goals to his name also, and is now performing at a consistently reliable level that is unique for young players who so often struggle with wild irregularities in performance.

You could make an argument that Saka has been Arsenal’s best player this season bar Aubameyang and Leno. And for an 18-year-old, in his first season as a senior professional, playing mostly out of position, that is absolutely outrageous.