Pearce claims Arsenal star has been the best player in the Premier League

Stuart Pearce has now said that Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has been the best player in the Premier League this season.

Pearce was speaking on TalkSPORT (13/1 6:34am) about the Arsenal squad going into their biggest game of the season.

Arsenal went back-to-back league games without a win for the first time this season on Saturday.

They weren’t at their best against Brentford, but took the lead through Leandro Trossard.

The January signing scored his first goal for his new club, but the goal was largely down to Bukayo Saka’s brilliance.

His ball across the box with his weak foot was nearly impossible for Trossard to miss.

Brentford quickly equalised through Ivan Toney, although the goal should have been ruled out for offside.

Whether Arsenal did enough to win the game is another matter, but it could end up being a very costly mistake in the title race.

Pearce has been seriously impressed by Saka this campaign, and it’s no surprise Arsenal are where they are in the table with him in the side.

He’s now one of the first names on the team sheet for club and country, an outstanding achievement for the 21-year-old.

Stuart Pearce says Arsenal’s Saka is Premier League player of the season so far

Speaking about Mikel Arteta’s side, Pearce singled out Saka for praise.

“But Saka’s form this year, for me, he would be my player of the year if I had to pick one now,” Pearce said.

The £70,000-a-week winger is very much the future of Arsenal, and the club are keen to reflect that in a new contract.

Dean Jones, via Give Me Sport, has suggested Arsenal are confident Saka will sign a new deal.

Saka already has seven goals and eight assists in the league this season.

He’s only four goals away from reaching his best ever tally in a season for the Gunners.

Pearce isn’t the only person impressed by Saka’s performances for Arsenal this season.

Thomas Frank highlighted his importance to the Gunners before they faced off on Saturday.

Saka’s form is going to be a hugely important factor if Arsenal are going to win the league.

Mikel Arteta doesn’t have an alternative in the squad who can reach the same levels of performance that he can.

When it comes to the end of the campaign, there’s sure to be plenty of people voting for Saka as their player of the season.