Arsenal struck gold on their "legend in the making", he's worth way more than Yamal - opinion

In the world of football, Arsenal have always been regarded as an excellent club for young and exciting talents.
Be that Jack Wilshere in the early 2010s or Cesc Fàbregas in the mid-2000s, the Gunners have had at least a couple of standout youngsters in every generation in recent history.

However, one club that has probably got them beat when it comes to producing incredible prodigies is Barcelona, who actually had Fabregas on the books at the world-renowned La Masia before he opted to move to North London.

cesc-fabregas-arsenal-academy-transfer-arteta-edu-jack-henry-francis-wilshere
In fact, the Catalan giants look to have done it again, as the latest wonderkid grabbing the headlines is another one of theirs, Lamine Yamal, and by all accounts, the hype seems justified.

The incredible Yamal
Despite being just 16 years old - yes, 16 - Yamal already has 51 first-team appearances for Barcelona under his belt, in which he has racked up a tally of seven goals and ten assists.

Lamine-Yamal-Spain-Euro-2024 (2)
Primarily a right-winger, the incredible youngster made his debut for the Catalans on the left when he came off the bench with seven minutes to go against Real Betis in the 32nd game of the 2022/23 La Liga season.

He wouldn't play another minute of first-team football for the rest of the campaign, but was given his first start in the second game of last season against Cadiz and looked at home from the first whistle.

Lamine-Yamal-Spain-Euros
His stock was already reasonably high a month or so ago, but following his simply astounding performances for Spain at the Euros this summer, his reputation has gone stratospheric - especially after that wonder goal he scored against France on Tuesday.

This fairytale rise from unknown youth player to preeminent wonderkid in world football has understandably seen his valuation skyrocket, with the Transfermarkt now pricing him at around €90m, which converts to about £76m, although given his ceiling, we'd be surprised if that number doesn't keep ticking up at a rate of knots.

That said, as outlandish as his potential price tag is for someone so young, Arsenal have an academy graduate of their own whose value is even higher than that of Yamal's.

Bukayo Saka's valuation in 2024
The Hale End graduate in question is, of course, Bukayo Saka, who has carried the torch of Arsenal youngsters thriving in the first team - to put it mildly.

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In fact, the 22-year-old has arguably become the most important player at the club in recent years, and the fact he's already racked up a mammoth 226 first-team appearances at such an age is a testament to that.

In those appearances, the "legend in the making", as football talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, has scored 58 goals and provided 53 assists, meaning he's averaged a goal involvement every 2.03 games.

Saka's senior record

Team

Arsenal

England

Appearances

226

38

Goals

58

12

Assists

53

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.49

0.47

All Stats via Transfermarkt

He's not just dazzled at the Emirates, either. He's already picked up 32 caps for England, in which he's scored 12 goals - including that screamer against Switzerland - provided six assists, and won two Player of the Year awards.

This absurd CV for a player who is still just 22 has seen Transfermarkt value him at a massive €140m, which is about £118m.

However, like in the case of Yamal, the Gunners would probably demand close to double that before they even considered cashing in on their talismanic winger.

Ultimately, the Barça youngster looks set for a simply astonishing career at the top of the game, but Arsenal can be happy in the knowledge that they have their own homegrown superstar in Saka.

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