We are now 11 games into the Premier League season, and it would be fair to say that Arsenal have not been having the best of times.
Mikel Arteta’s side and their supporters were hoping that this would be the season that they finally beat Manchester City to the title, and while Pep Guardiola’s side have stumbled as well, Liverpool have taken their place atop the table, nine points ahead of the North Londoners.
Now, the Gunners have faced injury problems and a few harsh refereeing decisions, but at the end of the day, the team just haven’t performed well enough on the pitch.
That said, there have been a few standout players, notably Bukayo Saka, who continues to be a shining light in an otherwise bleak campaign, although even he is being outscored by a former Arsenal youngster who was sold in the summer and has since seen his valuation explode thanks to his form, which has seen him outscore Victor Osimhen as well.
Saka's form this season
Yes, while his teammates around him have struggled to reach the levels they did towards the backend of last season, Saka has continued to demonstrate just why he’s one of the best players in Europe, let alone England.
For example, in just 15 appearances across all competitions, the North Londoner’s irrepressible poster boy has racked up a staggering haul of four goals and eight assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.36 games.
Moreover, according to FBref, which has compared players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League over the last 365 days, the 23-year-old dynamo ranks incredibly high for some important statistics.
Progressive Passes Received
14.29
Top 1%
Touches in Opposition Box
7.89
Top 2%
Shot-Creating Actions
5.60
Top 9%
Expected Assists
0.32
Top 10%
Actual Assists
0.33
Top 11%
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.62
Top 12%
Total Shots
3.29
Top 87%
Tackles
1.83
Top 15%
In short, the 42-capped Englishman has been a tour de force for the Gunners in recent seasons as well as this one, and so long as he’s in the team, there is every chance they can get back to their best of the last two years.
Yet, the Ealing-born icon is still being outscored by a former youngster who Arteta sold over the summer. A promising centre-forward who is now worth significantly more than he was just a few months ago.
The promising striker outscoring Saka and Osimhen
Arsenal got rid of a number of talented players over the summer, some for hefty sums of money, like Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah, and some just on loan, like Reiss Nelson and Fabio Vieira, but the player we are talking about was sold from the club’s academy, Mika Biereth.
Yes, the up-and-coming Danish striker, who impressed on loan with Motherwell and Sturm Graz last season, producing 24 goals and assists across 37 appearances between the sides, was sold to the latter for just £4m in early July.
Appearances
20
15
9
Goals
9
4
8
Assists
2
7
4
Goal + Assists per Match
0.55
0.73
1.33
Unsurprisingly, the “fantastic” young forward, as dubbed by Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell, who openly compared parts of his game to both Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, of all people, started this season like a house on fire and currently has a tally of nine goals and two assists to his name in just 20 appearances.
This means that not only is the former Gunner outscoring Saka at present, but also Nigerian superstar Osimhen, who has been consistently linked with a move to the Emirates over the last year or so and has a tally of eight goals and four assists in nine games so far.
Such an incredible start to life with his new permanent club has also seen the London-born poacher’s valuation explode.
In 2024, CIES Football Observatory now currently value him at up to €18m, which is about £15m, or a 170% increase on the fee he cost the Austrian side just a few months ago.
Ultimately, Arsenal probably did the right thing in letting Biereth go out and make a name for himself without having to worry about where he’ll go on loan the following year, but given his start to the season and soaring valuation, we’re sure Arteta wishes he kept him around for a little while longer.
Arsenal must finally sell £110k-p/w flop who was their "obvious captain"
The experienced international has been painfully unlucky at Arsenal.
1 ByJack Salveson HolmesNov 14, 2024