Bukayo Saka urged to change position as Arsenal star told he’s ‘not world class yet’

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has claimed that Arsenal starlet Bukayo Saka is still not world-class.

The Hale End academy graduate has netted 12 goals and provided a further ten assists in the Premier League this season, helping the Gunners build up an eight-point gap at the top of the table. That kind of form has led to fans and pundits alike labelling the 21-year-old world-class, something that Jordan believes is a slight exaggeration.

Speaking about Saka on talkSPORT, he said: “This idea that we need to tell every English player that once they hit a vein of form that they’re world-class is a false equivalency for me. Saka is a very good player, the current incumbent of that particular title.

“But when we talk about world-class, we talk about geniuses. We talk about Mbappe, we talk about the young kid at Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior, that I believe are geniuses.”

Jordan then claimed that the talented winger may need to change position in the future, backing him to switch to a more central role. He added: “Good player, very clever player, the potential of being far more than just a winger.

“He could potentially become a No 10 if that’s what they see for him because he can see a pass, he can make a pass, obviously he can create lots of assists for others and score goals himself. So I think he’s well on the way to being a really, really top-class footballer. I think he’s impactive and effective for Arsenal and is becoming so for England.

“So be glad we’ve got him, be glad we’ve got a player who has the potential to be one of the top players in the world. But to start making arguments about world-class at this moment in time is not necessary.

“It’s unfortunate and unfair and eventually will put him in the way of a different argument. So no, I don’t think he’s world-class right now. Do I think he has the possibility? I’m not sure. There’s a way to go.”