Since taking the job almost six years ago, Mikel Arteta has got an awful lot right at Arsenal.
He’s completely transformed the culture of the club and shown a level of tactical flexibility that most managers could only dream of.
Something else he perhaps doesn’t get enough credit for, though, is how he has kept the team ticking over and evolving.
GK
Bernd Leno
RB
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
CB
Sokratis Papastathopoulos
CB
David Luiz
LB
Bukayo Saka
CM
Lucas Torreira
CM
Granit Xhaka
RW
Reiss Nelson
CAM
Mesut Özil
LW
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
ST
Alexandre Lacazette
The makeup of his team has changed multiple times since December 2019, and he has pretty consistently found upgrades and replacements for players like Aaron Ramsdale, Granit Xhaka, Kieran Tierney and even Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
It now appears that he and the club are planning for the long term as well, with reports suggesting they are closing in on an incredible youngster who could be Bukayo Saka’s eventual heir.
Arsenal close in on Saka heir
Arteta has built a squad full to bursting with international superstars at Arsenal, some of whom people would consider world-class. Yet, when it comes to the club’s most important player, it’s hard to look past Saka.
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After all, on top of already having a frankly ridiculous tally of 76 goals and 73 assists in 280 games, the Hale Ender is the talisman of this side and has become the face of the project.
In other words, the club are going to need an extraordinarily special talent to come in and be his long-term heir when Saka does eventually call it a day.
Fortunately, it looks like the North Londoners might have just found that special prospect.
At least, that is according to a recent report from ESPN, which has revealed that Arsenal have agreed a deal in principle for the incredible winger Edwin Quintero and his twin brother Holger.
The two 16-year-olds are reportedly in London at the moment to iron out the details of the move, with an official announcement to come at a later date.
However, due to rules around foreign-born youngsters, the pair won’t actually join up with the squad until August 2027.
Even so, Arsenal fans should be excited about the development as both teenagers are very highly thought of indeed, and Edwin Quintero looks like someone who could become Saka’s successor.
Why Edwin Quintero will be Arsenal's next Saka
Now it should almost go without saying that, due to Saka being the player he is and Quintero still only being 16, there is little to no chance that the youngster would come in to instantly challenge the Englishman in 2027.
However, as the years progress, he could start getting more minutes in the first team, and then, when he’s in his early to mid-20s and the Hale Ender is in his 30s, there could be a real battle there.
That might sound absurd at the moment, and like far too much pressure to be putting on someone so young, but based on what those in the know are saying, Quintero could be something really quite special.
For example, respected analyst-turned-Como scout Ben Mattinson has described the teenager as someone with “the ability to run games and create something out of nothing,” as well as “the vision to pick out runners”, which sounds quite a lot like the Gunners’ talisman.
Moreover, U23 scout Antonio Mango has described the winger as an attacker who “is always looking to make a difference”, who “Likes to play with short pass-and-move principles”, but can still be incredibly “dangerous from distance.”
Then, just to take the hype surrounding the prospect to another level, respected talent scout Jacek Kulig has stated that the 16-year-old is “one of the most exciting prospects I have seen in recent years,” labelling him as a “huge talent” in the process.
Now, while it’s clear that his passing, vision and ability to change games make him appear like a younger Saka, he does also have more of one trait than the Englishman: flair.
In fact, this is something Mattinson has pointed out, claiming he “is so skilful and constantly uses flair to fool defenders”, and Mango has also highlighted his “excellent close-control.”
Ultimately, Saka is and will likely remain Arsenal’s most important attacker for quite some time, but the club look like they have found his long-term heir in Quintero.
Hale End have given Arsenal a future superstar who's like "a young Saka"
The incredible young talent could follow in Saka’s footsteps and become a superstar for Arteta and Arsenal.
ByJack Salveson Holmes
