Wilshere thought Arsenal ace was the next Saka, then he left for £0

Arsenal are a club with a proud history of producing incredible young talents.

In the past, players like David Roecastle, David O’Leary, and Tony Adams have come through Hale End to star in the first team, and in the last few years, another batch of academy graduates have also made their mark.

Youngsters like Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson have all played prominent roles in Mikel Arteta’s squads, and while none of them were able to reach the level of players past, Bukayo Saka looks like he just might.

The Gunners’ sensational number seven has established himself as potentially the most important player in the team, and if he can keep playing at a similar level for the next few years, he could go on to be the club’s greatest academy graduate ever. So, it’s unfortunate that a player once compared to him recently left the club for nothing.

Saka’s Arsenal career

Now, it seems bizarre to refer to Saka as already having an Arsenal career as he has only just turned 23, but due to his incredible talent and rapid development, he has already racked up a frankly astonishing 230 appearances for the club.

In those games, the fan-favourite has scored 59 goals and provided 57 assists, meaning he’s maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.98 games since making his debut against Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League in November 2018.

However, the reality of those attacking figures is even more impressive. Early on in Hale Ender’s first-team career, he was deployed all over the pitch and has 21 appearances to his name at left back, 29 in left midfield, 55 in right midfield, and five in central midfield, along with a smattering of starts in attacking midfield and on the left wing.

So, even though the Ealing-born dynamo has been moved around during his time in the first team, he has remained a consistent performer and has more than justified talent scout Jacek Kulig’s claim that he’s a “legend in the making.” Unfortunately, this only makes the loss of another academy star likened to him all the more painful.

Amario Cozier-Duberry’s comparison to Saka

Yes, the youngster in question is 19-year-old Hale End graduate Amario Cozier-Duberry, who was compared to the Gunners’ poster boy by none other than Arsenal’s u18 coach and former wonderkid himself, Jack Wilshere.

Speaking to The Athletic in April of last year, the 32-year-old couldn’t hide his excitement about the then 18-year-old prospect, remarking that he “reminds me of Bukayo Saka” and that “in some moments he’s unplayable.”

The incredibly promising winger joined the North Londoners in 2019, signed his first professional contract with the club in June 2022 and was simply sensational for the youth teams.

For example, in 48 appearances for the U21s, he scored 18 goals and provided ten assists; in 31 games for the U18s, he scored ten goals and provided eight assists; and in four games in the UEFA Youth League, he scored twice.

Such sensational form saw him make the bench a few times over the last two seasons.

However, when his contract expired in the summer, and despite efforts from Edu Gaspar to get him to stay, he opted to join fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, where he enjoyed a strong preseason and has since been sent on loan to Championship side Blackburn Rovers.

Ultimately, a lot of Arsenal’s recent academy graduates have gone on to make the club a pretty penny in the transfer market. Still, if Wilshere was right in his assessment and his youth numbers are anything to go by, the Gunners might have missed out on another talented winger who could have made it at the first-team level in Cozier-Duberry.