Comparing Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden’s 2023/24 stats

Highlights

• Rio Ferdinand believes that while Manchester City’s Phil Foden is potentially world class, the same cannot be said for Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, who needs to show he perform at the highest level consistently.
• Statistics show that Saka has been more clinical in front of goal this season in the Premier League, with a higher conversion rate and more goals than Foden so far.
• However, Foden excels more than Saka overall in passing statistics, while the two can barely be separated in dribbling metrics.

With the Euros around the corner, Gareth Southgate will already be thinking about who he will be taking to Germany, but more importantly, who will be in the starting eleven for their opening game. The Three Lions were placed in Group C along with Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia. England will certainly fancy their chances of going all the way this year due to the amount of talent in the squad.

Jude Bellingham has impressed following his switch to Real Madrid last summer, while Declan Rice has been one of Arsenal’s standout performers following his big money move from West Ham at the start of the season. Despite moving to the Bundesliga, Harry Kane has been scoring for fun for Bayern Munich this campaign and is expected to be the first name on the team sheet this summer. However, there’s still a lot of debate around who will start out wide. Bukayo Saka continues to grow and has established himself as one of the best wingers in the league in recent times, with Mikel Arteta describing him as ‘remarkable’, while Manchester City’s Phil Foden has been given the chance to thrive for Pep Guardiola’s side so far this year.

Speaking on TNT Sports’ coverage during City’s Champions League clash with Copenhagen, Ferdinand was asked by presenter Laura Woods whether he feels Foden is world class. The tricky winger scored in their 3-1 first-leg win away from home and has been one of their key players so far this season, with the former England defender stating:

“I think you’ve got to be looking at him like that. For what he does for the team, he’s important to the team. With assists, with goals, with the rhythm of the game, especially this season. I think he’s got to be in the conversation or nearing that at least.”

He was then pressed as to why Saka cannot be considered world class. Ferdinand recently insisted on his VIBE podcast that Saka cannot be held in the same esteem as Foden. Following on from his comments about the City star, Ferdinand states that Saka has not done it at the top level:

“Because I don’t think he’s done it at the top level, winning trophies in a team like this. You’ve got to understand and respect and appreciate, Phil Foden has done this, where the medals are handed out, he’s performed.

“He’s done that against the best teams. Consistently. Saka needs the opportunity to perform at that platform, that level, consistently, and then we’ll see where he’s at. You can consider him then.”

Despite his comments on the two players, Ferdinand, who played 81 times for the Three Lions, was quick to put the Arsenal man in his front three for the Euros. With both Saka and Foden playing key roles for their respective clubs this season, who has the better stats between them? GIVEMESPORT have dived into Squawka’s comparison martix to see exactly who is posting the better numbers right now.

Shooting statistics compared

Saka more clinical in front of goal this season

According to data collected by Squawka, Saka just edges the shooting statistics in the Premier League this season. The Gunners’ star man has more goals than Foden so far, scoring 13 times in the league as opposed to Foden’s 11. Unsurprisingly, Saka has a better shot conversion rate as well, with 28.89%, while Foden’s rate is 22.92%.

The Man City ace has proven eager to take shots at the opposing goal, and has taken 83 in the league so far, while Saka isn’t too far behind him with 75. On the other hand, Saka has shown he’s capable of scoring from 12 yards, netting four goals from the penalty spot so far, while Foden is yet to score a spot kick.

The Manchester City winger does have a better shot accuracy rate with 70.83%, but Saka is close behind with 62.22%. The City man just edges the shots on target with 1.4, while Saka comes in with a score of 1.2. All in all, though, Saka takes the crown here.

Passing statistics compared

The City man is better with his distribution

Despite edging the shooting statistics, Saka just falls short in the passing category. With both men playing the same number of games, they both have the same assists in the league with seven. In terms of chances created, Saka has a score of 2.7, just 0.3 more than Foden.

The City star has attempted more passes with a score of 52.7 per 90 on Squawka, compared with Saka’s 41.3. Foden has successfully completed more passes with a score of 46.8, way ahead of the Arsenal man who scores 34.3. In terms of passing accuracy, Guardiola’s man is clear once again, with a score of 88.7%, while Saka’s score is 83.04%.

Saka has attempted more long passes with a score of 2.3, a mere 0.1 ahead of Foden, but it’s actually the City man who has proven to be better with his long passes. He has successfully completed more per 90 (1.4) while he has a long pass accuracy of 62.26%.

While the Gunners don’t really have a focal point in the final third, that still hasn’t stopped Saka from attempting more crosses, with Foden only attempting 5.9 per game on average. With that said, it comes as no surprise to see the Arsenal man has a better crossing accuracy and has more successful crosses from open play.

Foden has proven to be more successful with lay-offs than Saka, with a score of 2.2 compared with 0.5. The City man also edges passes completed in the opposing half with 36.2 per 90 as opposed to Saka, who has a score of 29.1.

Dribbling statistics compared

Little to separate the two when they are on the ball

Foden has always been more of a tricky winger with the ball at his feet. Compared with a lot of the wide players in the Premier League, it’s fair to say that the City man is one of the best dribblers in England, and according to Squawka stats, he just edges the Arsenal star.

In terms of take-ons completed, the pair are joint with a score of 1.5 per 90 from both Englishmen. However, with that being said, Foden is way ahead when it comes to take-on success. With a score of 52.17%, he trumps Saka’s score of 44.87%.

In January 2024, Arsenal complained to the Premier League’s refereeing body, the PGMOL, over the rough treatment of Saka, per the Daily Mail. The Gunners believe that their star player was targeted in various matches in 2023 by opposition players, and that the numerous hard-hitting tackles could eventually take their toll on the 22-year-old.

Squawka’s stats back it up. When comparing the two players, Saka has won more fouls (2.1) than Foden (1.8). The Gunners man just edges the penalties won stats (0.1) compared with Foden (0).

Both arguably world class players

Saka and Foden posting similar numbers

As alluded to, despite Ferdinand being quick to praise Foden, he went on to put the Gunners man in England’s front three for the Euros. According to data collected by Squawka, there’s nothing to split him and Foden. In the same amount of games, they’re both as influential on the pitch.

However, you could argue that Arsenal losing Saka is more of a blow than City losing Foden. With that being said, they’re without a shadow of a doubt two of the best players in the Premier League. With plenty of games left to go until this summer’s Euros in Germany, it’s fair to say that Southgate has a real selection headache on his hands.

All statistics per

Squawka

– correct as of 04/03/24