Arsenal: Bukayo Saka has clearly learned from harsh Thierry Henry advice

“Big players are not nice” – How Bukayo Saka has clearly learned from Arsenal legend Thierry Henry…

It was reported earlier this week by the Daily Mail that Thierry Henry had given current Arsenal starboy some constructive criticism. Henry claimed that Bukayo Saka needed to develop a mean streak in order to be “THE guy” at Emirates Stadium. He then went on to explain this by saying “big players are not nice.”

To many, this might seem like a harsh assessment of Bukayo Saka’s development. After all, the reason why the Premier League adores him so much is because he’s nice and polite. He’s an honest player, the type of winger that would rather fight for a goal than fall over easily to claim a penalty. More often than not, it works.

But Henry is right. While football has changed, one thing has remained the same since his time: you have to be cruel on the pitch to advance. Look at some of the best players in the world – Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos; they all have mean streaks about them.

In the recent match against Aston Villa, Saka lived up to the advice from one of his heroes. He was pushed around relentlessly but he didn’t sit around and take it. Not only did Saka score to inspire a great comeback, but he got in the face of Philippe Coutinho to warn him away from making dirty challenges.

In the match, Saka did in fact honour Thierry Henry in his celebration, even posting about it on social media after. He recreated Henry’s iconic celebration for France where he held the corner flag after scoring a big goal as nonchalant as ever.

Have you noticed a change in Bukayo Saka’s mentality?