Bukayo Saka: From Hale End schoolboy to Arsenal's superstar

After Bukayo Saka signed a new contract with Arsenal, football writer Sam Cunningham looks at the winger's rise from promising youngster to Premier League superstar.

Bukayo Saka was 11 years old when Luke Hobbs joined Arsenal’s youth staff and took charge of the Under-12s in the finals of a Premier League tournament in Leeds.

To give everyone a fair chance, Hobbs played one team in the first half of games and another in the second. And it didn’t stop them reaching the final, where they met Chelsea.

With Saka on the pitch, Arsenal were three goals ahead at half-time, but Chelsea came back and drew level in the second half.

Hobbs thought: ‘If I want to win this, I need to put Bukayo back on.’

So, he threw Saka in. Then he scored, scored again, and then secured his hat-trick and the trophy with a shot into the top corner.

“I remember that moment well, but despite him winning the game for us, there was no arrogance at all from him,” Hobbs later told Arsenal’s official website.

From Hale End schoolboy to the Arsenal superstar who has just signed a new long-term contract, there are few players who can say they have as much Arsenal in their heart and soul as Saka.

He was part of Arsenal’s pre-academy before he joined Hale End, the club’s famous training centre, aged eight on 5 May 2010.

“There’s something very romantic about the idea of a kid joining a football club and then making it through the academy to the first team,” says Andrew Mangan, founder of the popular fan site Arseblog.com.

“Not just as any other player but as basically the star player — the face of the project, if you want to call it that, under Mikel Arteta. It’s very special.”

Everyone who worked with Saka in various age groups at Arsenal remembers a young lad who possessed no airs and graces and was a delight to coach.

Fitting, really, considering his first name, given to him by his grandma, means ‘God has added joy to my life’ in Yoruba, the language spoken in Nigeria, where his parents emigrated from.

From early on, Saka was a standout performer in his Arsenal age groups – often playing with the year above to test him.

Coaches thought so highly of him that one year, when they were assigning squad numbers in alphabetical order and Saka was landed with the No 3 there was concern that Saka or his father, Yemi, might be upset that such an influential player had that shirt number.

But neither Saka or Yemi ever took exception to anything.

Watch: A young Saka play wearing No 3 shirt

Decision making set him apart

There was no doubting the teenager’s attacking talents, but when he played up an age group he would often feature at full-back. Coaches would speak to Yemi in advance, to check he was OK with it.

Yemi has always been a huge influence on Saka, who told football.london “he just keeps me grounded and that's perfect for a player like me," so it was important the family were happy with the player’s progress.

There were extremely talented older attackers, but the full-backs were heavily involved in build-up and coaches felt Saka would benefit from time on the ball and the space to dribble.

Trevor Bumstead was the Arsenal Under-16s coach when he worked with Saka and, among a long list of qualities, it was Saka’s intelligence that really impressed him.

“It’s not often you get boys who are so quick and so good at running with the ball who make such good decisions,” Bumstead told the Down the Tunnel podcast.

“That was the thing that really stood out for me in terms of Bukayo and his game. He was a fantastic decision-maker.

“He was the type of boy who could beat people. When he was with me in the Under-16s, he could beat two or three people but he knew when to beat people and when to pass the ball.

"And that was my biggest compliment for him.”

Ljungberg's influence

Freddie Ljungberg first coached Saka in the Under-15s and having a former winger, who won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups at Arsenal, was influential on the young footballer.

Saka was forever asking Ljungberg, an Arsenal legend, questions and had a strong desire to learn.

Ljungberg noticed Saka was always practising that little bit extra and was keen to see video clips of weaker areas of his game, to help him improve.

In fact, Saka was often more focused on the things he couldn’t do, or didn’t do so well, than his strengths.

Ljungberg would give Saka advice every day. “The best piece of advice he's given me is to stay humble,” Saka said in 2019. Another piece of advice, early on, was to train hard.

It sounds simple, but Saka embraced it, to the extent Ljungberg sometimes had to tell him to rest more, especially when they had games.

Ljungberg left Arsenal but returned a few years later as their Under-23s head coach and was pivotal in Saka’s transition into the first team.

Saka was only 17 but Ljungberg wanted to play him in the Under 23s.

Some coaches were reticent about Saka taking such a big step up, but Ljungberg insisted.

Ljungberg honed his pressing and his runs in behind on the wing, and taught him the fundamentals of playing at wing-back.

Ultimate Arteta player

Coaches were so impressed with how well the 17-year-old took the step up that he was handed a chance in the first team under Unai Emery – coming on against Vorskla Poltava and then handed a first start v Qarabag, both in the UEFA Europa League.

Saka then became the first 2001-born footballer to play in the Premier League when he made his league debut against Fulham in January 2019.

Watch: Saka's reaction after his debut v Fulham

By the start of the following season – 2019/2020 – Emery had such trust in Saka he started him against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Only 18, Saka made 38 appearances that season.

That December, Arteta replaced Emery and since then the pair’s relationship has been intrinsic to Arsenal’s return to challenging at the top of the Premier League table.

“As soon as he moved into that right wing position under Arteta it clicked straightaway,” Mangan says.

“You could see something a little extra about him.

“It’s about the consistency of end product at an early age. That’s how you can really gauge attacking players and what they’re going to be capable of.

"If they can do it at 18, 19, and they improve season on season, after that you know you’re looking at somebody who’s got a trajectory that’s probably higher than most.”

Impressive numbers

Saka has played 278 games for Arteta – more than any other player in the six years Arteta has led the club, showing he has become the Spaniard’s most trusted player.

Saka has the most goals – his 76 putting him way ahead of next highest goalscorer Gabriel Martinelli, who has 54 – and most assists; again his 63 outstripping next closest Martin Odegaard’s 41.

As a sign of how Saka has become the ultimate all-round Arteta player, he has created more chances – 483 – had more shots – 594 – successfully dribbled around players more times – 403 – and won more fouls – 459 – than any of his team-mates.

“Lots of young players have made the breakthrough from Hale End to the first team, but Saka broke through at what you might call a low moment for Arsenal, when things weren’t great,” Mangan says.

“What he represented was the future, a player around whom – not just him solely – but a player who could be a fundamental part of that future. That’s basically what’s transpired.”

Returning to Hale End

Saka is now the poster boy for Arsenal’s academy. Idolised by young players at the club, he is the exemplary of what can be achieved through hard work, honesty and humility.

And there remains a constant reminder of Saka when players and parents walk through the door at Hale End.

After Saka scored his first Arsenal goal, in a Europa League game against Frankfurt, he returned to Hale End with a gift for the coaches: handing them that special shirt from the night.

It is now on display in the entrance hall.