Reiss Nelson also departed the club on loan on transfer deadline day, joining Smith Rowe at Fulham. This left Saka as the only Arsenal academy graduate in the first-team squad. The departure of players who Saka referred to as his "big brothers" led to the England star expressing how he misses them during an interview on the Men in Blazers podcast.
"Yeah, I'm not going to lie, I've missed them a bit you know," admitted the 23-year-old. "Since I came into the first-team they were kind of like my big brothers with the way they welcome me and stuff like that."
He added: "So yeah, it wasn't easy to see them all go, but at the same time, I'm really happy for them because they're three top, top players with so much quality and I'm sure they're going to shine in the Premier League this year." Smith Rowe was the first to leave his boyhood club in a £34million move to Fulham, including add-ons, which Arteta described as a "really sad" departure for the 24-year-old, reports Football London.
"When I had the talk with Emile, I really felt it," Arteta said. "First of all because I have huge gratitude because he came into the team at a tough moment. I think he was the player that made our supporters and the team click, in a way. I don't know how to explain it but that was my feeling.
"Something changed when he came in the team. He created a different energy straight away. And I have a feeling like 'argh', that I have not got the best out of him. Obviously a lot of things happened in that time."
The Gunners boss also paid tribute to Nketiah after his sale and acknowledged the striker's desire for more game time which led to his £30m transfer to Crystal Palace. "He is a player who has developed well through our academy and now he takes this opportunity with Crystal Palace," the Spaniard said.
"Eddie is a top professional, loved by everyone at the club, who wanted and needed to play more minutes. We wish Eddie well as he moves onto his next challenge."
Arteta had previously lauded Nelson for his game-changing performance against Bournemouth last season, where he netted a last-minute winner that kept Arsenal in the title race. "Look at the example of Reiss. His best moment for Arsenal, it's a moment where he played a few minutes and made a huge impact and it's one of the best days in his life as an Arsenal player.
"Nobody remembers if he started or if it was off the bench. There are a lot of examples in world sport where players made the impact." Despite this, Nelson found it difficult to secure a regular spot in the Arsenal team and was replaced by Raheem Sterling, who joined the Gunners on loan from Chelsea on the same day Nelson left.
Arteta, who had worked with Sterling during his time at Manchester City, revealed how quickly he knew he wanted to sign him. "The first call I had with him I knew in the first ten seconds we have to bring him because he really wanted it," he said.
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