Theo Walcott has reserved special praise for William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes for their performances at the heart of Arsenal’s defence, but believes Bukayo Saka has been the club’s standout player so far this season.
Arsenal are battling for silverware in both the and the this season and the next few days are likely to prove pivotal, with the north London giants travelling to Bayern Munich this evening before heading to Molineux to take on Wolves this weekend.
Saka, 22, Arsenal’s Player of the Season in 2020/21 and 2021/22, has once again enjoyed an outstanding individual campaign for the Gunners, scoring 18 goals in all competitions – his best ever tally for the club.
The England international has also racked up eight assists in the English top flight this term to ensure Arsenal have been able to keep this year’s three-way title race alive, despite Sunday’s painful defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.
Saka will be desperate make a difference once again tonight when Arsenal take to the field at Bayern, a week on from his opener in the sides’ 2-2 draw in a pulsating quarter-final first leg at the Emirates.
Speaking to ahead of the second leg, former Arsenal star Walcott reserved special praise for Saka, arguing that the forward had once again been the club’s MVP this season.
‘I’m going to be quite biased and go with one of the forwards because I was a forward player,’ Walcott said.
‘Look, the defence has been absolutely solid. Saliba at the back, he was greatly missed for a period of time last year, particularly towards the end of the season.
‘I scored against Arsenal while playing for Southampton in the 3-3 and a few Arsenal fans weren’t happy about that, but I had to do my job! But Saliba wasn’t playing that day.
‘I’m going to have to go with Saka. I think Bukayo’s goal tally, his goal contribution, the way he plays. For me, he’s always been impressive.
‘My kids absolutely love him, like me, so yeah, he’s graced the field really well. He really has.’
Walcott is glad that Kai Havertz has ‘found his feet’ in an Arsenal shirt and feels the club have ‘proven everyone wrong’ after resisting the urge to pay over the odds for a goalscoring centre-forward in the two most recent transfer windows.
‘They’re in the title race, of course. It’s nice the fact that we don’t really know who is going to win, it could go anywhere,’ he added.
‘Goal difference is a big factor for me, I look at that, and people say – and I was one of them, to be fair – they needed a number nine type of figure, but they’ve proven everyone wrong.
‘The fact that Kai Havertz has found his feet as well, found his position. That’s really important. He’s got them ticking up front.
‘They’ve got everyone coming back fit as well, but there is always something that happens in the run-in.
‘But I think it’s nice we’re all talking, we’ve all got different opinions about who is going to win, we’re not quite sure, and that’s why we love the Premier League.’
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