Eighteen-year old Nigerian-born wing-back Busayo Saka put pen to paper last week and celebrated the milestone with a sumptuous goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers last Saturday. In this interview with Arsenal TV, the youngster traces his early days at the club and his hopes of a brighter future with the Gunners.Bukayo, youve got some exciting news to share with us so well let you tell everyone whats happened. Well yeah, Id just like to thank God for this very proud moment for me and my family. Ive extended my contract here with Arsenal Football Club. Ive been here since the age of eight and weve been working hard every single day but while weve been working weve also been dreaming of moments like this. So its going to be very special for a long time for me and my family. Were just over the moon.As you say, theres obviously been a lot of talk and a lot of questions, but how pleased are you now that thats all behind you' Youve signed this new contract and you can focus on whats aheadYea, well I love playing for Arsenal, you know. I love playing for the coach, the fans, my teammates and I really believe in the philosophy that the boss is bringing and what hes building and Im just really excited to see where hes going to take us in the future.As you say, youve been here since the age of eight so its a very long time here for you but what does Arsenal mean to you as a club' Its obviously been a part of your life for so longWhen I was at Hale End, I just remember always seeing a picture of Jack Wilshere on the walls when I walked in every single day. I just used to tell myself that its possible to get into this first team, that theres a pathway. Now that Im in this position and that Ive got to the level he got to when he was my age, Im really proud of myself. Im really happy and I just want to keep working each day by day, staying humble and trying to get better each day.So youve chosen to sign this new contract at Arsenal but what made you so sure that this was the best place and that this was the right decision for you'Its Arsenal, you know. Come on, its Arsenal. The stadium is great, the fans are great, and the club is great. Everything about this club is great. I felt that it was right in my heart to extend my contract here and I feel like this is going to be best for my development.Obviously this is the first season the fans have really seen you in the first team but your involvement has really been consistent since Mikel Arteta arrived as our head coach. What kind of influence has Mikel had for you and how has he helped your development'For starters, I just want to say I have to mention Unai Emery because of the amount he believed in me and the opportunities he gave me, Ill forever be grateful for them. And then of course Freddie Ljunberg whos always gone out of his way to advise me and make sure Im improving every day. These are the coaches Ive played under before but Mikel is amazing you know. He manages to give so much detail while at the same time being so clear. Its just amazing to have such a great coach. The future looks bright and thats why Im happy to be here.I must say this since Arteta came in as our coach the atmosphere has really changed. Were beginning to believe in the team before every game, I implore the board to support him in the transfer market because am so optimistic Arsenal will compete again with what Arteta is trying to do.You talk about the influence of Mikel there but obviously there have been a lot of coaches in your youth development such as Freddie Ljunberg who have played an important role for you and have got you to where you are today. When you look back on your time from Hale End and coming to Colney, how do you feel about that experience and the way you have shaped to where you are now'Ill just say that everything happened so quickly, I came to Colney last year and Freddie was one of the coaches, out of many of the coaches at Arsenal who believed in me so much. I had Kwame before, Ken, Greg, Ryan Garryall the coaches who are at Colney that were managing me. They all just believed in me and pushed me to the first team. I didnt believe it would happen this quickly but I was always ready and prepared to take my opportunity. Luckily I did and Im just happy to be in the position Im today. When I look back Im grateful to all the coaches, coaching staff and the people around the academy that really helped me and supported me in my journey.Coaches are important, but so are teammates, something that we hear a lot from young players at Arsenal is how helpful the senior players are behind the scenes, just helping you to settle, adapt and give your best. Which players in the senior team have been really helpful to you'I would say a lot of them have been really helpful. It would be unfair to really pick people out and stuff like that because since Ive come here Ive felt welcomed, Ive felt loved. Now they feel like brothers to me and I can speak to them, I can say anything to them and theyll always be there for me. One player in particular I have to say is David Luiz.Hes a man with a big heart and he just has so much experience in the game as well. He goes out of his way all the time to advise and help all the young players. Im sure if you asked them as well theyd tell you how much hes there to support us. Hes a very important member of our squad.And the fans as well. Theyve been desperate for this moment; theyve been desperate for this news to come. Theyve really taken you to their hearts how much does it mean to you to get that recognition'Yeah, Im sorry its taken this long, you know because Ive seen how much it means to the fans. Over this time Ive seen how passionate they are, how loving they are and it just means everything to me that I can make them happy. I just hope I can continue to do that.And do you have a message to the Arsenal fans who particularly been replying to all your tweets, all of your Instagram posts, asking you to sign da ting all the time'I would say I want to thank them for their ongoing support. It means a lot to me. I hope this news makes them really happy that Ive signed and extended my contract.
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