Arsenal

The 23-year-old Hale End graduate has been going from strength to strength in every season under Mikel Arteta and has elevated his playmaking game in particular to new heights during the 2024-25 campaign.

Saka currently tops the Premier League's assist charts with 10 from 13 matches, thanks in no small part to his exceptionally consistent deliveries from corners, where Arsenal have been a major threat all season long.

The England international played a huge part in Arsenal's second goal in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Manchester United, as Thomas Partey nodded his delivery onto William Saliba's backside for the Frenchman's first goal of the season, and Watts can sense some Henry-esque confidence exuding from Saka.

"You see almost a bit of an arrogance to Bukayo Saka now in a good way," Watts told Sports Mole. "I grew up with Thierry Henry and he just had that arrogance on the pitch where, especially when he got angry, you could just see he was just looking at everyone and thinking 'I'm better than you, I'm going to go and win this game by myself'. He'd do it and just stand there and soak it all in.

"Just that look on his face, he just knew he was better than everyone else. You kind of get that impression with Bukayo now with some of his celebrations and what he's doing and some of the goals he's scoring and the way he's finishing them.

"I'm just seeing a little bit more of an arrogance to his game where he now knows just how good he is and what he can do. When I look at his Arsenal squad, if there is a player who will just win a game out of nothing, it is Bukayo."

Could Saka topple Henry, Kevin De Bruyne's all-time Premier League assist record?

Saka's terrific assist statistics have come at a bit of a cost to his goalscoring numbers, but the England international has still netted five times in the 2024-25 Premier League season, bagging against Nottingham Forest and West Ham United since the November international break.

The 23-year-old took on more of the playmaking responsibility during Martin Odegaard's absence with an ankle injury, and if he continues setting up goals at the same rate, he will comfortably surpass Henry and Kevin De Bruyne's all-time Premier League assist record.

Henry set up 20 goals in the 2002-03 season, a tally that De Bruyne equalled in 2019-20, and Watts does not think that Saka is any stranger to his quality as he chases down two of the competition's all-time greats.

"He's just gone up another level now," Watts added. "I think he knows how good he is and how much of an influence he can be on games. It's weird that assist record. Every season it seems like someone gets off to an incredible start and you think they're an absolute given to go on and break it and then they struggle.

"I think was it 2015-16, when Mesut Ozil was just unbelievable and he was on probably 14 or 15 by January and then the goals dried up a bit, Olivier Giroud kept missing chances in that title run-in and he ended up missing out on the record just by a couple of assists. De Bruyne looked guaranteed to break it. He ended up only levelling it.

"There's been others as well. Cesc [Fabregas] was very, very close. But you look at Saka now and it's not just the open play assist but also the set-piece assist."

Only 2015-16 Mesut Ozil and 2020-21 Harry Kane - 11 games each - took fewer matches to hit 10 assists in a Premier League season than Saka's 12, although the Arsenal winger has received a bit of stick for a perceived reliance on set-pieces.

Only 30% of Saka's assists have come from corners

However, only three of Saka's helpers this term have been from corners, setting up Gabriel Magalhaes against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and West Ham United, meaning that seven of his assists have come from open play.

Regardless, Watts cannot understand the discourse around Arsenal's outstanding record from set-pieces, highlighting the fact that Saka and Declan Rice almost always execute their dead-ball deliveries to perfection.

"Arsenal's set-piece delivery is second to none and I see a lot of rival fans sort of scoffing at the stats and his assists so far this season and pointing to corners. It's still an assist! If you don't put in the perfect delivery then you don't set up a goal," Watts added.

"What does it matter if it's not open play or not? If it was so easy to swing in a corner for people to score, people would be doing it left, right and centre. There's a reason that Arsenal do it so well. As good as Gabriel is in the box and attacking balls, you have to deliver it exactly where it wants to be.

"Arsenal set-pieces are so carefully constructed. You look at the difference between the one against Sporting and the one against West Ham that Gabriel scored from both. Gabriel started the first one in the middle and then for West Ham he was at the back of the pack beyond the far post and he came in for the near post header.

"Both times, whether it be Declan Rice against Sporting or Saka against West Ham, they got the delivery absolutely right in the area that it was attacking. You can have the best header in the world but if you don't put in a good delivery you're not going to score and that's what Arsenal are so strong at. It's what Bukayo Saka is so strong at. Whether it be open play, set-piece delivery, he's just dialled in at the moment and Arsenal are obviously reaping the benefits of that."

Arsenal's triumph over Man United in midweek saw them cut the deficit to leaders Liverpool to seven points thanks to the Reds' 3-3 draw with Newcastle United, although Chelsea's 5-1 pummelling of Southampton saw the Blues overtake the Gunners on goal difference.

Arteta's third-placed team will now seek a fifth straight win across all competitions when they head to Craven Cottage to face London rivals Fulham on Sunday.

Written by

Ben Knapton