Arsenal struck gold on future “legend” whose valuation has soared 1036%

With what feels like an almost endless string of bad luck at the moment, it’s easy to forget how far Arsenal have come in the last five years or so.

The North Londoners were languishing down in tenth in the Premier League and looking more likely to fall further down the table than climb it when Mikel Arteta was handed the reins in December 2019.

Yet, despite more than a few setbacks, the Spaniard has transformed the club from a shadow of its former self into genuine title contenders and even led them to the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in over a decade last season.

On top of his tactical and philosophical changes, Arteta has also developed players into superstars, including one whose valuation has exploded under his management.

Arsenal stars developed by Arteta

There are a considerable number of Arsenal players that Arteta has helped develop into fully fledged stars over his tenure, but perhaps one of the most dramatic transformations has been that of Gabriel Magalhaes.

The Brazilian centre-back joined the Gunners from LOSC Lille in the summer of 2020 for a fee of around £23m, and while he was certainly a useful player during his first couple of seasons with the club, there was a somewhat common view among some fans and pundits that he could be a liability at the back.

However, over the last few years, the Sao Paulo-born titan has more than proven that idea incorrect, as, alongside William Saliba, he helped create the best defence in the Premier League last season and is on track to do the same again this year.

Moreover, while his French teammate is the one who tends to win more of the plaudits, this season has seen the former Lille man get his flowers, both for his old-school no-nonsense approach to defending but also his ability in the opposition’s penalty area, as in 34 games this season he’s racked up five goals and one assist.

This rise from a potential problem at the back to one of the first names on the teamsheet has also seen his valuation explode under the manager as, according to Transfermarkt, he’s now worth €75m, which is about £63m, or 173% more than the club paid for him in 2020.

With that said, another star of the first team has seen his valuation soar even higher under Arteta’s management.

The Arsenal star whose valuation has skyrocketed under Arteta

While things might not be going so well at the moment, Arsenal are blessed with a plethora of incredible players who have come on leaps and bounds under the manager, but when it comes to the most essential player in the team, there is only one answer.

Bukayo Saka was handed his first-team debut under Unai Emery in the 18/19 campaign, and while the former manager did hand him more opportunities at the start of the following campaign, it wasn’t until Arteta arrived that the Hale End icon really became a regular in the starting line up.

According to Transfermarkt, the young Englishman was worth just €13m, or £11m, but today, just over five years later, his valuation has soared to an astounding €150m, which is about £125m, or 1036% more than it was when the manager took charge.

That is undoubtedly an enormous sum of money, but based on the 23-year-old’s performance and growth in that time, it’s hard to say it’s unwarranted.

For example, despite still being relatively young, the Gunners’ “legend in the making,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has already made 250 appearances for the first team, in which he’s scored 67 goals and provided 63 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.92 games.

However, that does not paint the full picture, as for much of his early career, the 43-capped international was played all over the pitch, from full-back to midfield, so when we look at his record at right-wing, he looks even more impressive.

In just 120 appearances off the right, the supremely gifted attacker has scored 43 goals and provided 36 assists, which comes out to a staggering average of a goal involvement every 1.51 games.

Ultimately, Arsenal have come a long way under Arteta, and Saka’s incredible transformation from academy graduate to world-class winger is the perfect encapsulation of the club’s progression.