Bukayo Saka says Arsenal ‘always the one’ despite interest from Tottenham and Chelsea as a youngster

Bukayo Saka has said Arsenal were “always the one” for him growing up, despite interest from Tottenham and Chelsea when he was a youngster. Saka had trials with Arsenal’s London rivals as a kid and a spell in the Watford academy before starting at Hale End aged eight. He had previously played for his local side, Greenford Celtic, where he was first spotted by Premier League scouts.

Ad/> Speaking to Sky Sports, Saka has revealed why Arsenal were his first choice even as other clubs did their best to sign him. “I think Arsenal was always the one I wanted to go to,” he said. Premier League'I'm the solution, not the problem' — Arteta responds to Aubameyang criticismYESTERDAY AT 10:24 “It seemed like they had a lot of faith in their youth, and there was a clear pathway when you could see the players coming up from Hale End to London Colney, and my dad also really believed in the project and he loved Arsene Wenger.

“I think Arsenal was the club in the hearts of my family, so we chose them.” Saka also gave an insight into the culture at Hale End, where former Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker is now the academy manager. “I think, from the moment you sign, [with] the education at Hale End, you start to know the history of Arsenal,” he added. “You know which games are the most important.

“We obviously knew the derby and the rivalry with Tottenham. So I’d say, from the point I signed, the coaches made it known before every game against Tottenham how much it means and there was always extra excitement around that game.” /> Saka scored against Spurs in September when the two sides last met, with Arsenal going on to win 3-1. Having lost three out of five games in the Premier League up to that point, he sees that victory as one of the