- Bukayo Saka produced a goal and two assists as Arsenal thrashed West Ham 5-2
- Jamie Redknapp hailed the 23-year-old as a model professional after the game
- This Man City team is DONE and Pep Guardiola has been sleeping on the job – LISTEN NOW to It’s All Kicking Off! New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Jamie Redknapp heaped praise on Bukayo Saka after the Arsenal forward starred in the club’s thrashing of West Ham on Saturday.
Saka was instrumental for the Gunners as they ran riot in the London derby, with his corner finding Gabriel who duly headed home after just ten minutes to put the visitors in front.
The England international then set up Leandro Trossard for Arsenal’s second, as the Belgian converted from close range to finish off a well-worked move.
Just minutes later Saka had a golden opportunity to get his name on the scoresheet when the referee pointed to the spot after he was brought down by Lucas Paqueta after again breaking through the Hammers‘ defence
Though it initially appeared he would step to take the penalty, Saka unselfishly handed the ball to captain Martin Odegaard, who sent Lukasz Fabianski the wrong way to secure his first goal of the season.
Kai Havertz made it four shortly after, but West Ham proved they were not prepared to lay down and threatened to mount a comeback with quick-fire goals from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Emerson Palmieri.
Jamie Redknapp hailed Bukayo Saka’s performance as Arsenal ran riot against West Ham
Saka was instrumental as the Gunners netted five times in the first half at the London Stadium
The 23-year-old netted a penalty on the brink of half-time and contributed a pair of assists
Those hopes were quickly dashed however, as the referee again awarded Mikel Arteta’s side a spot-kick on the brink of half-time.
This time Saka did step up, and he subsequently continued his exemplary record from 12 yards to make it 5-2 to the Gunners.
Arsenal showcased their game management in the second half to maintain the scoreline and move back into second in the Premier League table following a recent dip in form.
The man-of-the-match winning performance saw Saka take his tally of assists to ten for the season from just 12 appearances, and Redknapp insisted having a player of his quality would be a ‘dream’ for any team to have at their disposal.
‘He’s an incredible role model,’ Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
‘So intelligent. Eloquent, knows the game inside out. He comes across as a fine young man It must be a dream for any manager.
‘The job that he’s doing and the improvement he’s making every day is frightening.
‘He can score goals he can make goals, he’s got great desire, he runs in behind, he’s so difficult to defend against.’
Saka has now registered ten Premier League assists in just twelve appearances this season
The current record for a single campaign is 20, jointly held by Thierry Henry(pictured) and Kevin De Bruyne
But former Arsenal star Theo Walcott insisted Saka is capable of breaking the record
Since making his league debut in 2019, Saka has recorded 52 assists in 182 appearances for Arsenal
The current record for most assists in a single Premier League campaign is shared by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne, who both registered 20 in the 2002-03 and 2019-20 seasons respectively.
Theo Walcott added that Saka has what it takes to break the record and hailed the 23-year-old’s maturity.
‘He’s on his way with a long part of the season without his partner in crime Odegaard,’ he said.
‘It’s incredible stats. He’s just playing with confidence. The smile on his face when he speaks about Man united, he’s already speaking about Man United!
‘He’s always up for the challenge. At such a tender age he’s so experienced. He’s making that position his own.
‘It’s incredible to be that involved at this stage in the season, to stay consistently fit as well.’
Arsenal play host to United next weekend, with the club still undefeated in all competitions since Erik ten Hag was sacked last month.
