Here's who the numbers back for Arsenal's big winger signing

Scouring the spreadsheets to find the next Saka

Maybe you’re like me and think Arsenal need another option on the wings who does certain things better than the current guys. Maybe you think Martinelli and Trossard are hot garbage and need an upgrade. In either case, we can at least agree on one thing: Arsenal should sign a wide man this summer.

If you do think that, good news: I’m about to name like 40 of them! Tailored to suit the qualities that best resonate with Arsenal’s perceived shortcomings and their credibly reported targets over the past 12 months, I’ve gone and created a formula that prioritizes players who are especially adept at dribbling, particularly into the penalty area, as well as shot creation, goal threat and ball security.

That probably sounds pretty “duh,” but…well, it’s not, ok?!

As usual, a disclaimer that this list is ordered using statistics only and you should watch guys play (not on YouTube) before forming a final opinion. Please note that I’ve also taken my own advice and generated a score based on the past two seasons of play for each player. This list also does not represent my own personal rankings for whom Arsenal should pursue - more on that later.

Please also note that my charts are *not* adjusted for league strength, but the final scores leading to rankings are. So that means some better-looking charts will be below worse-looking ones. One possible reason for that is league strength.

Another possible reason - this ranking is based on the past two years of play. I’m only going to chart what they’ve done this season, but scores include both the 2024-2025 and the 2023-2024 seasons.

In terms of how one qualifies for this list, I started with a minimum of 450 league minutes played this season. Players who have been more available this season scored better. And while I didn’t utilize a hard and fast age rule here, the idea is to try and match the age profile of the squad to the extent possible. We’ll discuss case by case below.

Otherwise, I think that’s it. Should we talk about some guys?