Bukayo Saka wound the clock back to the start of his Arsenal career to name Mesut Özil as the best teammate he’s ever had, overlooking a glut of talented players in favour of a controversial figure in the club’s recent history.
Saka’s first-ever start for Arsenal came alongside Özil back in December 2018. Lining up on the left wing in a much-changed starting XI for a Europa League clash with Qarabağ FK, the then-17-year-old was Player of the Match in a contest decided by the German playmaker’s assist for the game’s only goal.
Almost seven years on, Saka remains a fixture of Arsenal’s first-team setup while Özil has long since left north London.
“High quality player,” was Saka’s take on the spindly German when asked by BBC Radio 5 Live to name his best teammate this week. “Fun to play with him, fun to watch him.”
Mikel Arteta did not always find it so fun to manage Özil.
Why Mesut Özil Is a Controversial Pick for Saka
The former Real Madrid midfielder would amass most of his 17 appearances alongside Saka in the first half of the 2019–20 campaign before the COVID-19 pandemic forced football across the globe to stop. By the time the Premier League launched “Project Restart,” getting games back underway in empty stadiums, Özil was no longer part of Arteta’s squad.
The exact explanation for this dramatic change of stance has remained unclear. Özil had previously caused some controversy with a few politically charged statements yet remained a fixture of Arteta’s early reign. The club’s highest earner was reportedly among a small group of players who refused to accept a wage cut during the height of the pandemic yet his manager insisted this played no part in his stunning exile.
“Honestly I take full responsibility,” Arteta declared after leaving Özil out of the club’s Premier League squad for the 2020–21 season. “I have to be the one getting the best out of the players. It is my responsibility. It is nothing related to any behaviour or, like I read, the pay cuts.”
Özil didn’t take the decision well, sniping from the sidelines and questioning a lack of “loyalty” before eventually joining Fenerbahçe on a free transfer in January 2021.
Some of Saka’s current teammates may be playing the same blame game. Despite playing 3,000 fewer minutes, Martin Ødegaard has already amassed more Premier League goals than Özil ever managed while a number of his England compatriots—notably Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham—stake a strong claim to the title of his most talented teammate.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bukayo Saka Overlooks Current Arsenal Squad to Name Best Ever Teammate.
