The Gunners sensation has been touted as a one-day challenge for the biggest individual award in the game alongside the likes of Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is enjoying the best form of his career this season and has earned plenty of praise while he has been away.

The most recent acclaim he has received comes with a target to strive for from a man not so popular among the Gunners’ fan base in William Gallas. The former France international captained Arsenal once but the way he left and his subsequent move to north London rivals Tottenham means every remaining bridge will soon burn.

That hasn’t stopped him from continuing to write about Arsenal’s current poster boy, though Gallas admits he thinks there may be more to come from Saka, who amazingly is still only 21 despite his wealth of experience.

As it stands, Saka sits on a tally of 12 goals and 10 assists in the league alone. To put those numbers into perspective, he has increased his tally on both metrics from the whole last season.

It’s not just at club level where the Arsenal academy graduate has excelled, Saka has established himself as one of the first names in Gareth Southgate’s England squad. He played the full 90 minutes against Ukraine last Sunday and came home with an assist and a stunning goal to showcase his efforts.

It is therefore good news for all those associated with Arsenal that Saka is expected to sign a lucrative new contract to extend his stay at the Emirates. Taking bonuses into account, the deal is reportedly worth £300.00 per week.

While that may seem like a tantalizing number, Gallas has made it clear how he thinks Saka could be worth it in the long term and even been touted for the Ballon d’Or if he continues at his current level of improvement.

“With the season he’s having now, I think he’s probably one of the best young players in the world,” the former Arsenal defender told Genting Casino.

“You have players of the same age who are also doing great things. [Erling] Haaland is twenty-two years old. I put him on the roof (laughs). I think you can put Saka right behind him. Not too many players his age are having a great season.

“That’s good (Saka’s development). Every season he improves and takes his game to another level. I hope he will be one of the players who will challenge for the Ballon d’Or in the future because he has the quality for that.” .”

Gallas then explained that as Saka got older, his targets had to change every season. By the time the winger was 24 years old, Gallas claimed he expected the Arsenal star to score at least 20 goals in a season.

There is every chance Saka comes close to that number this season, with 10 games still to play as Arsenal aim to end their 19-year wait for a league title.