Former striker Dwight Yorke has made a compelling case for why Arsenal should deploy Bukayo Saka in a new position.
Saka has developed into one of the Premier League’s most effective wingers over recent years. His mark of 15 goals contributions this term ranks him behind only Cole Palmer (17) and Mohamed Salah (26), irrespective of position. Indeed, Erling Haaland trails that trio with 14 goal contributions in the Premier League so far.
But according to former Manchester United striker, Dwight Yorke, Saka’s future could and perhaps should lay in a central position.
Speaking to SportsLens, Yorke backed Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta to convert Saka into a central striker at some stage within the next 18 months.
Doing so would see Saka follow in the footsteps of arguably Arsenal’s greatest every player, Thierry Henry, who began life as a left winger at Monaco and Juventus.
“I do believe Saka’s got the potential to play as a striker,” began Yorke. “The reason I say that, is because I started off as a winger. A lot of the great strikers started their careers in the wide areas, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo would be the best examples.
“Playing on the wing is a great place to develop some of the skills that all deadly strikers possess. The ability to beat players with skill, close control, pace – going either way. Thierry, Ronaldo, myself, we all started out there and worked our way in.
“I could see something similar like that happening to him eventually. Saka will probably do another year, maybe 18 months on the right, and then he’ll find his way in there.”
Explaining why Arsenal should seriously consider changing Saka’s position, Yorke continued: “Saka can go past people; he sees the pass as well. You do more damage in the middle of the park rather than on the flanks.
“He’s been super effective on the flanks, but he would probably be even more dangerous if you pushed him centrally.
“The one issue he will have is mastering the art of playing with your back to goal. When you play on the wing, you’re fronting defenders up. When you play centrally, you need to be able to play with your back to goal. I think he could also play as a 10, and that may require less adjustment.
“10s get a little bit more space to operate and manoeuvre in. Ronaldo did it late. He did it in his late twenties and then really established himself as an out and out 9 in his thirties. Thierry and I did it in our 20s. Thierry was probably the best example, he was unstoppable.
“You could see that when he was given the opportunity to roam across the pitch rather than stay on one wing, he couldn’t be stopped. I can actually see that happen. I really can because it happened to the very best of us. When Saka gets to 25 and 26, he’ll be ready to play through the middle.”
Arsenal rocked by Bukayo Saka injury
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Saka won’t be available to play in any position for the foreseeable future.
The forward sustained an injury to his right hamstring during the 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Providing an update on his stricken talisman on Monday, Arteta confirmed Saka will be sidelined for “many weeks.”
The severity of the injury and thus the timescale on his return has not yet been disclosed. But when asked in a press conference if Saka had “torn” something in his hamstring, Arteta replied “yes.”
Arsenal only have one more fixture to play in December, though they’re scheduled to play nine matches in January. As such, and if Saka misses around six weeks of action, he could miss double figure games.
POLL: What are Arsenal missing?