MIKEL ARTETA backed Bukayo Saka to emulate idol Cristiano Ronaldo by becoming a world-class centre-forward.
From Hale End product to global superstar, the 23-year-old Arsenal winger’s evolution has taken most people by surprise — even within the club itself.
Used as a left-back in the early stages of Arteta’s Emirates reign, he made his first senior Gunners start six years ago this week.
That was as a 17-year-old under then-boss Unai Emery in a 1-0 Europa League victory at home against Qarabag.
Saka is now a world-class winger and undroppable starter for Arsenal and England, who belongs in the same conversation as the very best.
But boss Arteta believes it is only a matter of time before he follows in the footsteps of the legendary Ronaldo and moves from out wide to a more central No 9 role.
Ronaldo — now aged 39 and at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr — made his name at Manchester United as a winger.
The Portuguese went on to become one of the game’s greatest goalscoring strikers at Real Madrid.
Asked if he could envisage a similar path for his talisman, Arteta said:
“We are thinking about these things.
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“It will depend on the qualities of the players around him. For somebody to be inside rather than outside, somebody has to be outside.
“That player, the full-back, the attacking midfielder and the No 9 has to allow the space to do that.
“But I’m certainly very open to keep evolving players.”
With two goals and an assist in the Gunners’ 3-0 Champions League win over Monaco on Wednesday, Saka now has 21 goal involvements in 21 games in all competitions this term.
Since the start of last season in the Champions League, only Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane (18) and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr (16) have been involved in more goals than Saka’s 14.
And with ten assists and five goals in the Prem this campaign, he tops Europe’s big five leagues for assists — more than Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal (9) and Liverpool’s Mo Salah (8).
On what Saka’s goalscoring targets should be, Arteta continued: “We always set targets. The idea to score 30 or 40 goals is fine but how are we going to do it?
“How are we going to create a plan to try to develop the player and give him the best possible chance to make sure he is able to do that.
I’m certainly very open to keep evolving players.
Mikel Arteta
“Sometimes it is a role, sometimes it a position on the pitch and sometimes it is other things.
“When the understanding of the game and the spaces and the timing of how they move in relation to each other is strong, the freedom has to increase.
“The decision-making is going to improve as they understand it better. That will create uncertainty for the opposition and now they have much more freedom than in the past.”
Speaking of his admiration for Ronaldo previously, Saka explained: “I love his mentality. He just always wants to be the best, always working hard on and off the pitch.
“He’s one of the best players to ever play football. He is unique.
“We are two different players but I always try to look at him and take the good things from his game.”
Fellow academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, made his Champions League debut against Monaco.
And the rookie left-back could make his first Prem start at home to Everton tomorrow, with fellow teen sensation Ethan Nwaneri, 17, on the bench.
Full-backs Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori are absent with muscular issues but Brazilian centre-back Gabriel is in contention to return.
I love his mentality. He just always wants to be the best, always working hard on and off the pitch.
Saka on Ronaldo
Arteta says he is in a better position to give young stars debuts because of his “unbelievable” Gunners dressing room.
Unlike the toxic group that he inherited in December 2019 when he took over as boss.
The Spaniard said: “They can be ready — but then the context in that team, dressing room, moment, is not right…
“Now the work has been done and it is exceptional what everybody has done and now they have the right environment.
“The way they look after them and make them feel.
“The jump is so big but they are showing that they are capable of doing it.”
Arsenal have turned into a prolific team when it comes to scoring from corners.
The Gunners have now scored 22 goals from them since the start of last season – seven more than their nearest rival Manchester City and eight more than Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Two of them came against Manchester United – Jurrien Timber and William Saliba netting in the second half to earn Mikel Arteta’s men a vital win as they chase down Arne Slot’s Reds.
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka were the architects with their deliveries, and each now have seven set-piece assists since the start of the 2023/24 campaign – more than any other player.
United legend Dimitar Berbatov joked Arsenal are the new Stoke City of the top flight – a side under Tony Pulis who terrorised the so-called “bigger clubs” with set-piece mastery.
