Nottingham Forest wingback Ola Aina has shared his pick for the best player in the Premier League.
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Aina, a mainstay for the high-flying Forest, made his choice known during an appearance on the football podcast Filthy Fellas. ..Continue Reading
He lauded Bukayo Saka’s remarkable consistency and named the Arsenal forward as the top player in the Premier League.
Saka has had an impressive start to the season for Arsenal, tallying five goals and ten assists in the league, with the team sitting third after 17 matches.
The 23-year-old England international has also excelled in the Champions League this season, scoring four goals and providing two assists, positioning the Gunners well for the knockout stages.
However, Saka suffered a hamstring injury in Arsenal’s 5-1 victory over Crystal Palace last weekend, and Mikel Arteta is expected to be without his star player for several weeks during a crucial phase of the season.
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This means that players like Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Jesus will need to step up in Saka’s absence, starting with the match against Ipswich in two days.
A month ago, Saka scored the opening goal in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Forest, a match where Forest has surprised many by sitting just one place behind Arsenal in the standings.
Aina faced Saka at the Emirates that day, and it’s clear the winger—who also assisted Thomas Partey’s stunning second-half goal—left a strong impression.
Asked whether Manchester City’s Rodri is the best player in the Premier League, Aina told the FILTHYFELLAS podcast: ‘I think he’s a sick player.
‘He’s sick and he makes City tick, everyone can see it and he’s won his Ballon d’Or and whatever.
‘But to say the best player in the Premier League… he just does it every game, every game… Saka.’
Aina’s response drew a stunned reaction in the podcast studio – but the Forest full-back doubled down and defended his selection.
The former Chelsea man added: ‘Yeah, Mo Salah is up there, he’s up there! That’s [Saka] one player when I came off the pitch at the Emirates…
‘Mo Salah, fair play, he does he thing, he does his thing. But let’s be honest here, bro, Saka is scoring, he’s doing a mad ting, bro.
‘I played him last season because I was playing left-back and he was a tough opponent. And I’m not just saying that because I know him.’
Arsenal fans will hope to have Saka back fit again as quickly as possible but Arteta admitted it was ‘not looking good’ for the player when facing the media this week.
‘It’s not looking good. He’s going to be out for many weeks,’ the Arsenal head coach told reporters.
‘It is what it is. He’s injured, we cannot change it. We’re going to use this time now to help him.’
Pressed on whether Saka may have torn something in his hamstring, the Spanish coach replied: ‘Yes. Probably there are ways to prevent the injury.
‘There are a lot of factors. We are looking at everything and what we can do differently.’
