The atmosphere among the fans and the team might not be ideal at the moment, but in the grand scheme of things, Arsenal are a club transformed and one on the right path.
When Mikel Arteta took over in December 2019, the team were a midtable side with few genuine stars at the club, but flash forward to today, and the team is full of them.
From David Raya and William Saliba at the back to Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in midfield right up to Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka in attack, the North Londoners are a team brimming with exceptional talent.
Moreover, Saka has become more than just a star player; he has become the face of the team, so when another of Arteta’s signings was compared to him a couple of years ago, fans got excited, although based on how things have gone since, the comparison couldn’t have been more wrong.
Saka's Arsenal career
Former manager Unai Emery gave Saka his Arsenal debut in a Europa League clash with Vorskla Poltava in November 2018 before handing him his full debut against Qarabag FK a month later.
GK – Emiliano Martínez
RB – Carl Jenkinson
CB – Sokratis Papastathopoulos
CB – Laurent Koscielny
LB – Ainsley Maitland-Niles
CM – Joe Willock
CM – Mohamed Elneny
CAM – Mesut Ozil
LM – Bukayo Saka
RM – Eddie Nketiah
ST – Alexandre Lacazette
However, it was under Arteta the following season that the Hale Ender was given a proper run of games in the first team.
He ended the 19/20 campaign with 38 appearances to his name, in which he scored four goals and provided 12 assists, and had proven to the new manager that he would be an integral part of his rebuild.
The following years only saw the Ealing-born icon’s importance to the team grow, and by the time the club launched an unexpected title charge in the 22/23 season, he was a fully-fledged star of the Premier League.
Unsurprisingly, following his sensational form that season, which saw the 43-capped international score 15 goals and provide 11 assists in 48 games, the club decided to tie him down with a new four-year deal worth a reported £200k-per-week with an additional £100k-per-week available in bonuses.
Such a massive contract at just 21 years old could be enough to send a lot of young footballers off the rails, but not the Gunners’ number seven, who once again focused on the job at hand and put in another barnstorming effort last season, ending the year with a seriously impressive haul of 20 goals and 14 assists in 47 games.
It’s been much of the same this year, as while his teammates have struggled here and there, the 23-year-old has already amassed a tally of four goals and seven assists in 15 appearances, which equates to an average of a goal involvement once every 1.36 games.
Appearances
241
Minutes
18578′
Goals
62
Assists
60
Goal Involvements per Match
0.50
Minutes per Goal Involvement
152.27′
Overall, Saka has become, without a doubt, Arsenal’s most important and impactful player in the last few years, and so, when another young winger signed by Arteta was compared to him in 2022, there were more than a few eyebrows raised.
The Arteta signing compared to Saka
The signing in question is Brazilian winger Marquinhos, who Arteta signed from São Paulo in June 2022 for just £3m.
Due to the “explosive” young talent, as dubbed by content creator Alexander Moneypenny, being just 19 at the time of the transfer, there was an expectation that he was a signing for the future, but just a few months into his life in North London, he was given a chance to start in a Europa League game away to Swiss outfit FC Zurich.
It was a decision that more than paid off on the night, as thanks to a great ball across the box from Eddie Nketiah, he opened the scoring in the 14th minute and then repaid the favour in the 62nd minute, putting an exquisite cross into the box for the Englishman to head home.
It was a dream debut for the Brazilian and led to more than a little hyperbole in the media, with former Arsenal and Everton striker Kevin Campbell describing the youngster as “a little bit different to Saka but he is still as devastating.”
Meanwhile, another former great, Martin Keown, went a step further, saying “it was like Saka in that position, it’s almost a copycat performance.”
First Impressions
What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.
Unfortunately, both men would be proven very wrong over the following years, as the former São Paulo ace struggled to make it back into the team following that performance and was sent on loan to Norwich City in January 2023, where he struggled to make an impact, coming back to N5 that summer with a single goal and assist to his name in 11 games.
A couple of months late, the then-20-year-old was sent to Ligue 1 side Nantes for the following season, but after once again struggling to assert himself in the team, he was recalled six months later, with just a single assist from seven appearances to his name.
Fortunately, his next loan move would prove slightly more beneficial, although the keyword there is slightly.
São Paulo
42
4
3
Fluminense
28
2
2
Norwich City
11
1
1
FC Nantes
7
0
1
Arsenal
6
1
1
In February of this year, the Gunners sent the young winger on a year-long loan back to Brazil to join Fluminense, and according to The Athletic, the deal included an option to buy.
During his time with the Brazilian giants, he made 28 appearances, in which he scored twice and provided two assists, but it was revealed this week that Fluminense do not have the funds to activate the £10m option in his contract, meaning it’s another move that has led to nothing.
Ultimately, it’s now crystal clear that the comparisons to Saka in 2022 were way off the mark, and it’s just as clear that Marquinhos does not have a future in this Arsenal team.
Therefore, Arteta and the board must cut their losses, sell the 21-year-old in January, and admit that his signing was a mistake.
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