“Saka Shines Bright: Tottenham Defender Ranks Arsenal Star Above Salah in Toughness!” 
“Saka Shines Bright: Tottenham Defender Ranks Arsenal Star Above Salah in Toughness!”
Spurs defender says one Arsenal star is more ‘difficult’ to face than Mo Salah
Tottenham Hotspur defender Destiny Udogie has now compared Arsenal star Bukayo Saka with Liverpool icon Mohamed Salah.
Destiny Udogie came up against Bukayo Saka for the first time this season in the north London derby, when Arsenal hosted Tottenham Hotspur in September.
Whilst Saka did score from the penalty spot that day, Udogie generally did a good job of marshalling the talismanic Arsenal winger.
Saka has regularly been able to get the better of most Premier League full-backs he has come up against in his career so far, as evidenced by the fact he is one of only two players in the history of the division to have provided a goal contribution against every side he has faced in the league.
The Hale End academy graduate has once again been in fine form this season. So far, in seventeen appearances, across all competitions, the 22-year-old has racked up six goals and eight assists.
Since making his debut for the north London club in November 2018, Saka has now accrued 196 outings across all competitions and has amassed 44 goals and 48 assists.
Mikel Arteta certainly appreciates how integral Saka is to his side’s prospects. If the attacker is fit, he invariably starts. It is crucial that the England ace is able to stay fit and in-form this season. Given how often he is targeted for rougher-than-usual treatment by opposition defenders, he has to show remarkable levels of resilience to keep turning up ready to start week in, week out.
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Udogie knows all about how much of a handful Saka is. Speaking to The Athletic, the Spurs man said he had a tougher time up against Saka than he did when facing Mohamed Salah. He said, “Saka was one of the most difficult because I never played against him and it was a derby. What makes him difficult is the way he takes his first touch, the way he attacks you and protects the ball. Salah is faster, more running into the space. And he is quick with the ball. So, it was quite hard but it was ok.”
Of course, Salah has achieved far more in his career than Saka has had a chance too. To be compared with the Egyptian forward alone is a huge compliment to the Arsenal man, and shows how highly regarded he is by opponents.
One thing that may concern Arteta, though, is how great a burden at the club Saka is already having to bear at such a young age. As a left-footed right winger, there is no natural back up to him in the squad. It may be that Arsenal soon dip into the transfer market in order to source some support for Saka.
