Arsenal are targeting a £51m star like Saka

Look at Saka. Arsenal's poster boy. A young man who serves north London and the world puts his hopes on them every week.

It wasn't long ago that Saka said that passionate fans deserve more. Boy has fulfilled his promise to bring back the good times since that statement.

The Premier League title may not have been contested but Mikel Arteta, with Saka in tow, came very close, losing by just two points to Manchester City.

The club's number 7 was at the heart of things again in the famous red and white shirt. No Gunners player has scored more than 20 goals in England in all competitions and no player has contributed more than 14 assists.

Rio Ferdinand once suggested that the winner was not world class yet. Boohoo on that. Saka is one of the most versatile players out there.

The problem is that he can do it against an opponent, someone who will struggle to play nearly every minute of a 38-game season.

So, who would they sign?

Arsenal are chasing the Saka Championship

The Gunners have been trying to sign another right-back for some time. Cast your mind back to the summer of 2022 and you will remember their pursuit of Raphinha.

At that time, the Brazilian player played for Leeds United but ended up in Barcelona. Pedro Neto was interested and still is according to some reports.

However, a new target on their short list is PSV Eindhoven attacker Johan Bakayoko. This is according to the Dutch journalist Rik Elfrink who reported earlier this week that the Colney transfer team has launched an investigation to find out if the player is available this summer.

Reports earlier this year suggested that the Eredivisie club could hold a fee of around £51m for his services.

So, what can he add to the Gunners side?

How is Bakayoko similar to Saka

Last season the 21-year-old was superb for the Netherlands, scoring 14 goals and providing the same number of assists in all competitions.

Bakayoko's role on the pitch? He played all 47 games at right back. Bakayoko's walk? On the left. You can begin to see the first pillars of similarity emerging.

But there has to be more, right? However, with the help of analyst Ben Mattinson we can paint a fuller picture. Speaking about the Belgian talent on social media, he once said that Bakayoko is “one of the profiles in Europe that most resembles Saka.”

Those are really good signs for a young player who he described as explosive in the final third.

So, what does the data say? Well, we have the answers.

When it comes to their creativity and goal scoring they are more or less at the same level, mostly making almost the same number of continuous passes every 90 minutes. In fact, the way they lift the ball on the pitch is one of their most striking qualities.

We all know that Saka is good in one-vs-one situations but Bakayoko looks even better this time, making a dirty number of continuous carries every 90 minutes. In context, he ranks in the top 1% of wing players playing in leagues of the same level as the Dutch top flight in that figure. He is an elite dribbler and would undoubtedly fit into Arsenal's team like a glove.

So, although Saka will have a rival this is a move that will benefit the club's attack dramatically.

Whether it's Kai Havertz or, dare we say it, Viktor Gyokeres up top, they'll thrive alongside the Belgium international.

Gyokeres has been relentlessly linked with the club over the past week however with some reports from Portugal even suggesting a £76m deal is on the way.

Therefore, signing these two players would be a dream come true. All you have to do is think about the dazzling talents of Bakayoko alongside the goalscoring talents of the Sporting elite.

Last term, the Swedes found the net 43 times. Adding that level of firepower with a ball handler as brilliant as PSV's experience would be quite something.

Arsenal scored fewer goals than Man City in 2023/24, but the two could give Arsenal – sorry – to finally get the better of his good friend Pep Guardiola.