Bukayo Saka shares what Edu Gaspar did at Arsenal in 2020 which really shocked him

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Bukayo Saka has admitted that he was shocked after Arsenal’s sporting director Edu Gaspar handed him the No7 shirt nearly three years ago.

Saka has been speaking to Arsenal’s official website after signing a new contract yesterday.

The 21-year-old has committed his long-term future to the club, with Sky Sports reporting that his deal will run until 2027.

It feels like a long time ago when Saka broke into the first-team at Arsenal, making his Premier League debut at just 17 years of age.

However, Saka really began to himself as a part of the Arsenal side during the 2019-20 season, as he racked up 39 appearances in all competitions. 

He was awarded the No 7 shirt ahead of the next season and he’s admitted that Edu’s decision to hand him his favourite number left him surprised at the time. 

Saka shocked by Edu decision

Saka was speaking to Arsenal legend Ian Wright after signing a new long-term deal with the club.

The Hale End Academy product reflected on being handed an iconic number at just 18 years old.

“He’s actually the person who helped me when I was getting my number seven,” Saka said of Edu.

“I had the conversation with him and told him which numbers I like, and I couldn’t believe it, he just said ‘Yeah, ok, we can give that to you’.

“I was like this [shocked] you want to give me the number seven. And he was like ‘yeah’.

“That was one of the moments I realised how much the people believed in me. It was a nice moment.”

It was clear that Saka was heading to the very top even during the early stages of his Arsenal career.

Nevertheless, Edu clearly had high hopes for the talented winger at the time and it’s certainly paying off for Arsenal at the moment.

Saka has become Arsenal’s star player over the past couple of seasons and Mikel Arteta will be delighted after he has committed his future to the club.