“I cried when Arsenal sold him, he was my favourite Arsenal player and i still miss him till today because if he was here, we would have won Porto”- Arsenal best player Bukayo Saka says he has a special place in his heart for £43M teammate which Arsenal released few years back

 

“I cried when Arsenal sold him, he was my favourite Arsenal player and i still miss him till today because if he was here, we would have won Porto”- Arsenal best player Bukayo Saka says he has a special place in his heart for £43M teammate which Arsenal released few years back

‘He is the one’…Bukayo Saka says he has a special place in his heart for player Arsenal once released

It’s safe to say Arsenal have had their fair share of fan favourites over the years, for a multitude of different reasons as well.

The likes of Thierry Henry are favourites for the fact that they were simply unbelievable players who are firmly entrenched in the record books at Arsenal.

Likewise, players like Ray Parlour or David Seaman have similar hero status at the club, albeit they might never have hit the levels of an Henry or a Dennis Bergkamp.

Of course, recent years have seen a a new wave of players emerge, with Bukayo Saka the player leading the charge in terms of fan favourites in the modern team.

However, speaking on his return to the Hale End academy this week, Saka has revealed that from an Arsenal fan perspective, Jack Wilshere was the player he and other young Gunners in the academy looked up to.

“Yeah, it’s really special. I think I know where I came from and they know where I came from and the journey so I think as a fan looking from out to in, even when I was watching watching growing up – the academy players – you want them to do so well. Especially when for example Jack Wilshere was playing, he is the one we all have this special heart for,” Saka said.

Saka and Wilshere both brilliant Arsenal academy products

You have to admire the Arsenal youth system really. They have brought through a lot of players in recent times and even if they don’t necessarily make it for Arsenal, many have careers elsewhere, such as Dan Ballard and Folarin Balogun.

Of course, when it comes to Jack Wilshere, there will always be that element of ‘what if’, given injuries cost him dearly and he ended up being released.

Saka, though, is firmly on course to being one of the best players to ever do it for Arsenal. The key for Saka now is to start winning trophies and back up his immense talent further.