According to The Telegraph, Arteta is helping Saka transform into a goalscorer, with all four of Saka's open-play goals this season coming from close-range finishes.

Saka has been with Arsenal's first team for eight years. The "academy star" has undergone multiple positional transformations during this period, initially playing as a full-back before transitioning to left-winger and eventually establishing himself as one of Europe's top right-wingers.

At 25, Saka appears to be entering a new phase of evolution. Early signs this season suggest the England international is more aggressive in his positioning and pursuing goals with greater determination than ever before.

So far this season, Saka has made 11 appearances for Arsenal and England, scoring five goals. While the sample size is small, this goal-scoring rate represents a new career high.

More encouraging than the statistics, however, is the manner of his goals. All four of Saka's open-play goals have come from close-range finishes: he darts from the right flank, penetrates the six-yard box, and completes the finish. Last season, only one of his 11 goals for Arsenal came this way.

Is Saka transforming into a true penalty-box predator? It's premature to say definitively, but one thing is clear: his positioning has changed this season, moving closer to goal. This shift is evident not only when attacking down the left but also when he makes deep runs into the box during central attacks.

The most striking example came in his winning goal against Aston Villa in late August. Arsenal advanced from the left, and Saka, displaying immense physicality and determination, burst into the six-yard box and completely overpowered Villa's left-back. In previous seasons, Saka would likely have drifted to the far post waiting for an opportunity. This time, he drove directly into the box.

Arsenal manager Arteta commented, "He is now always getting into great positions to shoot, finish with one touch, and tap in close to goal. That's exactly what we want him to do."

In Saturday's match against Leeds United, Saka's individual performance was uneven. While not at his best in possession, he still came close to scoring twice from central positions: once from a low cross from the left and again in stoppage time after getting behind Leeds' defence.

This reflects Saka's improved positioning: at this stage of the season, he could easily have scored far more than five goals. His movement and timing have improved markedly, but his finishing has not quite kept pace, as he has squandered several good chances against Brighton and Napoli.

Arteta is unconcerned about these missed opportunities. The Arsenal manager believes the key is that Saka can consistently create numerous scoring opportunities. "It's fine to miss chances," Arteta said. "Ultimately, the more chances he creates, the higher his probability of scoring. He's playing very well, and honestly, he could have easily scored four or five more goals by now."

Arteta has been coaching Saka to shift his mindset, developing him into a genuine finisher. Saka's best season to date is 2023-24, when he scored 20 goals for Arsenal across all competitions. Clearly, Arteta hopes he will surpass that this season.

"When he sets himself a goal target, he shouldn't just look at the total for the season but think about how many goals he should aim for in each match," Arteta said. "Once his mindset changes, he will consistently get into those positions and score more."

"I think the target should be two or three goals per match—that's the right mindset. If the idea becomes 'the target is 20 goals, it's only October, I still have eight months to score 17 more,' that mentality won't work and won't help you achieve your goal."

This shift in mindset and positioning inevitably affects other aspects of Saka's game. If he concentrates his energy on finishing in the penalty area, his contribution to initiating attacks on the wing naturally diminishes. This has been evident this season, with Saka's average crosses and dribbles per match declining significantly in the Premier League.

If this is the price Saka must pay to increase his goal tally, both he and Arteta are willing to accept the trade-off. Saka is already one of the best players in his position globally, and only one factor can propel him to the very top tier: goals. Will this be his next transformation? Arteta replied, "Yes, absolutely. He can definitely do it."

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