The teenager has been a
revelation for the Gunners, and his performances have predictably
sparked a conversation about his international future
By no means is Alexandre Lacazette the absolute authority on the pedigree of young players in the Premier League.
However, his glowing praise of youngster Bukayo Saka – he referred to
the 18-year-old as the best young player in the English top flight –
did not ring hollow at all. While it can be disputed, it is not
preposterous.
The winger has shone in his repurposing as a marauding left-back, and has assisted more goals than any other player in the Arsenal squad so far this season. Put simply, while this has been an underwhelming campaign for the Gunners, it could have been so much worse without their new wing wizard.
His form, especially with
the Euros looming in the summer, has pushed the conversation around his
international allegiance to the front burner.
England’s left-back options all have question marks over them: Ben Chilwell has struggled to find his best form since December, the utility of Danny Rose’s move to Newcastle United remains to be seen, Luke Shaw has only just begun to look serviceable as the left-sided centre-back in a back three at Manchester United, and Ashley Young is a little long in the tooth just now.
Tough luck for Nigeria then, who would have been hoping to snag another gem of the British production line undetected. It now appears that, if the Nigeria Football Federation wish to have the West London-born Saka turn out for the Super Eagles, it will come down to a protracted battle.
Herein lies a paradox: the very performances that have made him worth
pursuing for Nigeria are also making him less attainable. With each
passing game, it will only get more onerous.
So much so, in fact, that it is worth considering: does Nigeria actually need to be involved in this tussle at all?
The first layer of difficulty is the fact that Saka has played for
England up to U-19 level, and so would require more than a little
paperwork to switch his international allegiance.
This is even presupposing his amenability to the idea; he has been keen to embrace his Nigerian heritage at every opportunity, but that is not to say he would be willing to lay down all the perks that come with being a full England international. It is not a coincidence that, within weeks of committing to the Three Lions, both Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham inked new contracts at Chelsea. As it happens, Saka is presently in contract talks with Arsenal.
However, there is a more fundamental concern: do Nigeria actually need him?
It may seem preposterous to suggest, but there is a case to be made
he is not exactly essential, especially in his current guise. There is
no denying his profile is attractive – he is unnervingly calm in
possession, has courage, and possesses a telling final ball.
That said, the recent comments credited to Arsenal’s head of youth
development Marcel Lucassen – he referred to Saka as having “the
potential to become one of the best three wing-backs in the world” –
revealed the perception and expectation of him at the club. Far from
being a short-term fix, his deployment at left-back might very well be
permanent.
No disrespect at all to the position – full-backs are of the utmost
importance in modern football – but do the Super Eagles have a pressing
need in that area?
Consider this: his peculiar deployment within Mikel Arteta’s system
at Arsenal liberates him to be a force in the final third, with Granit
Xhaka filling in for him further back.
It is not the sort of tactical adaptation that would be made for him
at international level for Nigeria, where there’s already a functioning
system in place and he would be required to sink or swim—hardly ideal
conditions for a teenager.
There is of course the option of simply utilizing him further forward
for Nigeria, in a role the player himself has stated a preference for.
This is hardly unusual: in recent times, the likes of Victor Moses
and John Obi Mikel have been pressed into service for the national team
in roles that were different from those they played at club level.
Both, unsurprisingly, relished their heightened prominence in the final third when in green and white.
The results have been decidedly mixed though, which will come as a
surprise to no one. The more time a player spends in one role at club
level, the less suited he becomes to another, even while retaining a
basic level of competence still.
As such, getting Saka and fielding him further afield would arguably
not be the best use of his skillset, especially if he continues on the
path to fulfilling Lucassen’s prophecy
While there can be no denying Saka is a marvellous talent either
England or Nigeria would be glad to have, it remains unclear at this
time just how best that ability can be harnessed on the international
stage.
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