Joe Cole has claimed that Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has the ability to do certain things that only Mo Salah and Lionel Messi can do.
The 22-year-old started for England yesterday as Gareth Southgate’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by Ukraine in Poland.
In recent seasons the winger has become recognised as one of the hottest talents in world football and ex-Red Cole has compared him to two of football’s superstars.
“You can’t defend [against Saka] because he’s got this ability like Lionel Messi where he takes it backwards,” he said on Channel 4 (as quoted by Football365). “So the defender, you can stop him but he takes it back and he’s still got the ability to whip it with so much power.
“There’s only a few – Mo Salah’s got it, Lionel Messi’s got it and Bukayo Saka’s got it. When he gets in that position, he’s clinical.”
Saka scored 15 goals and assisted another 11 across all competitions last term which had some Gunners fans comparing him to our No. 11.
There’s no doubt that the forward is a quality player and the fact he’s already registered two goals and one assists in Arsenal’s opening four Premier League games supports that argument but he simply cannot be compared to the Egyptian King at the moment.
Some claim that the former Roma man had an ‘off’ season last time around which is interesting when you consider that he had 46 goals contributions in 51 games (across all competitions).
Saka is certainly on his way to becoming a world-class player but he’s got a long way to go before he can be seriously compared to Mo – and even more so Messi!
Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️