Exclusive: Arsenal’s young talent, Bukayo Saka, expresses his deep appreciation for the invaluable experience he gained while working with former manager Unai Emery.

Bukayo Saka, the talented forward for Arsenal, expressed his gratitude towards former manager Unai Emery for giving him the opportunity to shine in the senior side. Saka made his debut for the Arsenal first-team in a UEFA Europa League match against Vorskla Poltava in November 2018, thanks to Emery’s faith in him. Emery also handed Saka his first appearance in the Premier League before being dismissed by the club after 18 months in charge.

Saka has since established himself as one of the top players in Europe, but he will always remember Emery for giving him his chance at Arsenal. In an interview with Laura Woods on TNT Sports’ show ‘In My Blood’, Saka said, “For me, it was really special. I can never forget him – he’s the one that gave me my debut. Obviously you can see all the work put in to get to that stage. He gave me that moment and gave me a lot of confidence as well. He gave me so many more appearances so I’m always grateful to him. I’m really happy for him. Every time we play against him, I always try and say hello to him and say thank you as well. He was a really nice man and a really nice coach as well and I enjoyed my time under him.”

Emery has had success since leaving Arsenal, leading Villarreal to Europa League glory in 2021 and guiding them to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals the following season. He has now returned to the Premier League with Aston Villa, and they have had a strong season so far.

Under Emery’s successor, Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have experienced a revival. Arteta won the FA Cup in his first season and came close to challenging for the Premier League title last season. Saka has thrived under Arteta’s guidance and believes the Spaniard played a crucial role in his development as a key player for Arsenal. Saka said, “I think he was straight down to business (when he first arrived). I think we had a game about two games after he joined. He played me in his first game so I thought I was like: ‘Okay, this coach believes in me’. From then on, I just felt the belief he had in me, the confidence, the amount of games he was playing me so I was like: ‘Okay he really trusts me so I need to repay it’.”

Arsenal finished behind Manchester City in the Premier League last season and are determined to win their first title since 2004 this year. The Gunners started the season by defeating City in the Community Shield, giving them confidence that they can compete with the top teams. Saka said, “We beat City and we hadn’t beaten them in a while so it was really significant for us as a team. Obviously as a player, you love to win trophies and silverware but obviously, City have been a big rival for us, especially last season, and I don’t remember a game where I’ve beaten them for a long time or if it’s even ever happened. That was really significant to me to be able to beat them.”

Saka has had an impressive season so far, contributing nine goals and 11 assists in all competitions. One of his standout moments came when he was given the captain’s armband earlier in the campaign. Leading Arsenal to a 5-0 victory over Sheffield United, Saka cherished the experience and still keeps the armband at home. He said, “To be able to lead the boys out and speak to them was funny. I’m still quite young and obviously me speaking in the team talks, some of the boys found it funny. It was a really nice moment for me and we won the game 5-0 so this is a day I will never forget and I’ve got that armband in my house, in my room on top of my bed.”