Bukayo Saka: 7 records and milestones reached to earn new deal

Bukayo Saka has played out of his skin for Arsenal in the Premier League this season and was one of the main pillars behind Arsenal’s title charge, and has been rewarded with a four-year contract extension. 

During the curse of the season, Saka reached may milestones that have earned him the new deal with Arsenal, and here, we highlight seven of them. 

Saka started the season with a bang, directly contributing to eight goals in his opening 10 matches for the Gunners, and by the time he scored the second of his two goals in a 3-2 win over Liverpool in October, he set the first of many milestones for the season.

His late penalty to give Arsenal the win over Liverpool was the 20th of his Premier League career, making him the second-youngest player to reach 20 goals in the competition for Arsenal, aged 21 years and 34 days. 

He was pipped to the record by Frenchman Nicolas Anelka, who was 20 years and 41 days old when he scored 20 Premier League goals for the Gunners. 

Saka continued the season in a similar form to how he started it, netting goals at an unprecedented rate for the Englishman, and it was not long before he surpassed his own personal best for goals scored in a single season. 

The 21-year-old winger showed improvement in his game as far as goalscoring is concerned as he eclipsed his former best tallies in both the Premier League and all competitions. 

In March, Saka scored his 13th goal of the season in all competitions and his 12th in the Premier League, beating his previous records of 12 goals in all competitions and 11 in a single Premier League season. 

He has also improved on that tally, which currently stands at 14 goals in all competitions and 13 goals in the league alone. 

Saka also appears to have found a favourite target for his goals, and he has done well to pick Arsenal’s fierce rivals Manchester United and Tottenham as his victims of choice. 

The winger has scored three times against the Mancunians, more times than against any other club apart from Spurs, who have conceded five goals against him. 

Saka has also entered Arsenal’s history books for consistently tormenting Manchester United, becoming the first player to score three goals against the Red Devils since 2001, with only legends Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljumberg netting in as many consecutive games against them. 

Saka has manager Mikel Arteta to thank for the constant faith in him that has allowed him to flourish as an Arsenal player in recent years. 

The English winger has also repaid his manager’s faith by turning in consistent performances over time, and earlier in the season, he became the first player to register 50 goal contributions under Arteta in all competitions with a winning goal against Leeds at Elland Road. 

It was Saka’s 26th goal under Arteta, with his 24 assists registered within that time period making up the 50 goal contributions. 

His contribution records did not just stop with Arteta as he also reached an important Premier League milestone for Arsenal after scoring and assisting 10+ goals in a single Premier League season for the Gunners for the first time in six years. 

Not since Alexis Sanchez in the 2016/17 season had an Arsenal player registered 10 or more goals and assists in a single Premier League campaign before Saka eventually broke the jinx with two goals and an assist against Crystal Palace in March. 

The milestone was made even more special by Saka being the first player in the entire Premier League to achieve the feat this season. 

Saka, together with Gabriel Martinelli, tormented Arsenal’s opponents with their aggressive wing play and formed one of the most lethal duos in the league this season, reaching the heights of two of the Premier League’s greatest-ever players. 

With Saka reaching 23 direct goal contributions in April, and Martinelli reaching 20, the Arsenal duo became the first under-21 partnership to record 20+ goal contributions for the same Premier League club in a single campaign since Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo. 

The English and Portuguese duo reached the milestone when they helped Manchester United win the 2006/07 Premier League season, and were the last to do so until Martinelli and Saka. 

Saka’s goal contributions this season, coupled with those from his previous seasons also saw him equal another Arsenal great, Cesc Fabregas, for the number of goals contributed to when the midfielder was Saka’s age. 

In March, Saka became the sixth-youngest player to reach 50 goal contributions in the Premier League, but he has taken things further by reaching 56 goal contributions and equaling Fabregas' Premier League record. 

Saka’s 56th goal contribution came at the age of 21 years and 206 days, with Fabregas also having contributed to the same amount at the exact same age. 

Only four other players in Premier League history have contributed to more goals at this exact age than Saka, including Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, and Chris Sutton.