Bukayo Saka rated higher than prime Mohamed Salah as Arsenal icon stirs the pot

Ashley Cole has claimed Arsenal gem Bukayo Saka is already a better player than Mohamed Salah.

Salah notched up an impressive 39 goal contributions across all competitions for Liverpool last season, as the Reds finished third in the Premier League table.

One place above them were Saka’s Arsenal, with the England starlet also enjoying a campaign to remember.

While some way off Salah’s final tally, Saka registered 34 goals and assists for the Gunners, who finished two points behind eventual champions Manchester City.

And when quizzed on who he thought was the superior talent, Cole served up a surprise response.

Speaking to Match Attax, the ex-Arsenal and Chelsea legend sided with Saka over Salah.

That’s despite Salah having clocked an astonishing 300 goal contributions in just 349 matches since joining the Merseyside outfit.

Not to mention some of the trophies Salah has won, with the Egyptian having lifted the FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Premier League and Champions League during his time at Anfield.

Compare that to Saka’s singular FA Cup as an Arsenal player and it’s easy to see why Cole’s suggestion raised eyebrows.

But one thing Saka does have on his side compared to Salah is time.

The London-born ace doesn’t turn 23 until the autumn, with Saka tipped to enjoy a decade-long stint at the highest level.

Saka will be keen to make an impression this summer, with the winger expected to play a key role for England at Euro 2024.

That’s if he stays fit, as Saka joined up with the England squad carrying a slight knock.

As a result, question marks hang over him heading into England’s opening group game against Serbia on Sunday.

And given the doubts around his fitness, pundit Jeff Stelling has urged Gareth Southgate to keep him out of the side.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “I am going to pick Cole Palmer just ahead of Bukayo Saka.

“Saka has had a bit of a knock, not quite back to 100 per cent I think, Palmer showed enough against Iceland.

“So I’d go with Palmer, Harry Kane and Anthony Gordon, who I thought was our biggest threat for most part of the night [against Iceland]. He has been in brilliant form.”

Following the clash against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, Saka and co. will travel to Frankfurt for Thursday’s match against Denmark, before rounding off their Euro 2024 group stage the following Tuesday with a game against Slovenia.