Arsenal may regret selling “Henry-esque” star for £1m

It has been hectic and challenging, but overall, it has been a positive start to the Premier League season for Arsenal this year.

Mikel Arteta’s side won away at Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur and fought tooth and nail for a point against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon, and yet most fans will say the team aren’t at their best just yet.

The North Londoners were the second-highest scorers last season, but as things stand, four teams have scored more than them this term, with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhães the only players to find the back of the net more than once so far.

Interestingly, as crucial as star boy Bukayo Saka has been for his assists in the last five games, a former Arsenal academy gem, who was once compared to Thierry Henry, who left in 2018, is currently outscoring him.

Saka’s recent form

So, the first thing to say is that while Saka hasn’t been at his very best so far this season and can sometimes float in and out of games, he has still been integral to Arsenal’s approach.

For example, in his five league appearances so far, the Ealing-born sensation has racked up five assists, which, considering the level of opposition the team have faced so far, is seriously impressive.

Moreover, the Hale End superstar has not just picked up said assists in the easier home games; he’s done so in every game, so his impact in must-win games cannot and should not be questioned.

Now, with all that said, while his delivery has been sensational and led to Gabriel’s goals against City and Spurs, the 42-capped Englishman would also be the first to admit that his goalscoring has been slightly subpar so far.

In fact, the only goal he’s scored so far this season came in the opening game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, which means, in spite of the critical role he has played for Arsenal so far this season, he is being outscored by a former youth product who might have been let go too soon.

Stephy Mavididi’s recent form

Yes, the former Arsenal player in question is English attacker Stephy Mavididi, who joined the Gunners’ youth set-up from Southend United in July 2011.

The Derby-born talent never made a senior appearance for the North Londoners, but he was an effective player for the youth teams, scoring 21 goals and providing four assists in just 41 appearances for the U21 side, which, along with a few loan spells at Charlton Athletic and Preston North End, was enough to convince Juventus to spend around £1m on him in August 2018.

The talented forward looked reasonably impressive for the Italian side’s youth teams as well, racking up seven goals and one assist in 36 appearances, but was soon sent on loan to French outfit Dijon for the 19/20 season, where his eight goals and two assists in 28 games was enough to secure a £6m move to Montpellier.

Over the next three seasons, the former Hale Ender would be a regular fixture in La Paillade’s team, where he would score 21 goals and provide five assists in just 98 appearances, primarily coming off the left of a front three.

The 26-year-old’s impressive showing across the English Channel caught the eye of recently relegated Leicester City last summer, who proceeded to spend an undisclosed fee to secure his services, and whatever that fee ended up being, it was more than worth it.

In his first season with the Foxes, the brilliant attacker, who was described as a “nightmare to mark” by one of his former Arsenal youth coaches, Steve Leonard, scored 13 goals and provided six assists in 48 appearances – again mostly off the left – meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 2.52 games.

Fortunately for Steve Cooper and Co, while they have endured a tough start to the season, the talented 26-year-old, who was coached by Henry as a youngster and described as “Henry-esque” by CBS’ James Benge for his finishing last season, has maintained his excellent form.

In his six appearances in all competitions this season, he’s scored three goals – two more than Saka – and generally looked a threat when given the opportunity to attack.

Now, nobody is suggesting that Mavididi is even a tenth the player the Gunners’ incredible number seven is, but given the fact he’s currently outscoring him, looked superb last season, and left for so little in 2018, it is interesting to think about how useful he could have been as a squad player for Arteta were he still at the club.