Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka has been given some intriguing transfer advice by former Premier League and England winger Stewart Downing.
The Gunners wonderkid has been a joy to watch this season, hitting some of the finest form of his career so far and establishing himself as a major success story of the north London club’s academy.
This has inevitably led to some transfer gossip surrounding Saka, with a recent report from ESPN suggesting that both Manchester City and Liverpool were interested in the 20-year-old.
Saka certainly seems like he’s good enough to play at an even higher level than he is now, with the youngster perhaps unlikely to really be able to challenge for honours at Arsenal, who aren’t even guaranteed to be able to give him Champions League football next season.
Still, Downing believes Saka would do well to be patient and stay at the Emirates Stadium.
Downing, speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes at its launch of their 5-A-Side bet on England v Switzerland, said that Saka might not play regularly at City and could do well to show a bit more faith in this Arsenal project, which might be in a better place in a few years.
“Bukayo Saka is another one who deserves a lot of credit. He’s so important for Arsenal, and he’s still so young. He’s got time to get even better; it’s frightening. The list of attacking options available to Gareth [Southgate] that you almost forget about the likes of Saka. It’s a good problem to have, though, for sure,” Downing said.
“Saka has been amazing this season; you’ve got to think back to the situation he had in the summer, missing that decisive penalty. He hasn’t let it get to him, he’s dealt with the pressure, bounced back and let his football do the talking. Not only is he a good player already, but I think he’ll be phenomenal in years to come.
“Would I worry about losing him if I was an Arsenal fan? He’d fit in to any club in the Premier League, that’s for sure. But, for him, he’s currently playing for a manager who trusts him and he can see a plan going forward.
“You’ve got to think that if he went to somewhere like Man City, is he going to play every week? He might win more trophies but with Arsenal he’s at a club who are building and getting better with every game.
“You never know, in four or five years’ time, maybe they’ll become one of the top teams in the league again. They’ve certainly got the backing. It’s a tremendous club with the best of facilities. For me, Saka is best off staying at Arsenal for the foreseeable future.”