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Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka has played a starring role for his side in the 2022/23 season so far. His form has been integral to his team's success as the Gunners are top of the Premier League standings this season, leading defending champions Manchester City by eight points.
Saka has been the Gunners' star forward this season with 23 goal contributions in 38 appearances in all competitions. He was one of Arsenal's standout performers last season, receiving nominations for the Premier League's Young Player and Player of the Season awards.
His improved form will see him in the thick of the awards talks yet again, so let's take a look at three impressive stats from Bukayo Saka's season so far:
3 impressive stats from Bukayo Saka's season so far
#3. 12 goals + 10 assists
With two goals and one assist in Arsenal's 4-1 win over Crystal Palace last Saturday, Bukayo Saka became the first player to score 10 goals and provide 10 assists in the Premier League this season.
He narrowly missed out on this feat last season as he finished with 11 goals and seven assists. Three players hit double figures in both categories last season - Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, Chelsea's Mason Mount and West Ham's Jarrod Bowen.
He will aim to continue in this vein of form as he looks to lead his side to their first league title since the Invincibles team that won it under Arsene Wenger in 2003/04.
#2. Outperforming xG and xGA
To further highlight his impressive goal contributions in the league, Bukayo Saka is outperforming his expected goals and assists by a significant margin. His expected goals for the Premier League campaign are 8.8. He has scored 12 goals, outperforming this metric by 3.2.
His expected assists are 6.6, and Saka has registered 10 assists this term, outperforming his expected assists by 3.4. These numbers show the massive leap that Saka has taken as both a playmaker and a finisher.
His goal contributions are also career highs for him. With 10 Premier League matches remaining this season, the 21-year-old will be eager to add to these impressive numbers before the end of the league campaign.
#1. Only behind Lionel Messi in goal contributions amongst right-wingers in Europe's top 5 leagues
Bukayo Saka's goal contributions in the Premier League rank third in the league behind Erling Haaland (28) and Harry Kane (23). Not many players rank above him in goal contributions across Europe's top five leagues, as Lionel Messi (26), Victor Osimhen (25), Neymar (24) and Jonathan David (23) are the only non-Premier League players with more goal contributions in their respective leagues.
He ranks higher than Randal Kolo Muani (21) and Robert Lewandowski (20) who lead the Bundesliga and La Liga respectively in the goal contributions category. Among right-wingers, he is only second to Lionel Messi, with the players closest to him being Mohamed Salah at 18 and Serge Gnabry at 13.
These numbers prove how invaluable he is to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. He is undoubtedly one of the best players in all of Europe this season. To only be behind seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and reigning FIFA Best Men's Player Lionel Messi is an incredible testament to his form this season.
