Bukayo Saka: It’s Always Been Arsenal, Never Considered Tottenham

Bukayo Saka has disclosed that Arsenal were always the club he wanted to join despite having a trial with fierce rivals Tottenham as a youngster.

Megasportsarena.com reports that the Arsenal sensation joined the Gunners at the age of eight after earning recognition from scouts while playing for local side Greenford Celtic. Although other clubs were interested in signing him, including Chelsea, Watford and Tottenham, Arsenal remained at the forefront of his mind.

“I think Arsenal was always the one I wanted to go to,” he told Sky Sports.

“It seemed like they had a lot of faith in their youth and there was a clear pathway when you could see the players coming up from Hale End to London Colney and my dad also really believed in the project and he loved Arsene Wenger. I think Arsenal was the club in the hearts of my family, so we chose them.”

Saka acknowledges the importance of the club’s academy system at Hale End, currently overseen by former captain Per Mertesacker, in expanding his understanding of Arsenal as a youth player.

He said: “I think from the moment you sign, the education at Hale End, you start to know the history of Arsenal. You know which games are the most important.

“We obviously knew the derby and the rivalry with Tottenham. So I’d say from the point I signed, the coaches made it known before every game against Tottenham how much it means and there was always extra excitement around that game.”