Bukayo Saka breaks 26-year Premier League appearance record for Arsenal

Bukayo Saka's exemplary professionalism has underpinned his undroppable status for Arsenal.

The wildest lifestyle choice for a straight-A student at school is his penchant for a pre-match chocolate bar — Twix is Saka's go-to option.

By starting Arsenal's home meeting with Fulham on Saturday afternoon, Saka set a club record of 83 consecutive Premier League appearances. Paul Merson, the individual who had previously held the honour, enjoyed a rather different approach to professional football.

In 1994, Merson admitted that he had an alcohol, cocaine and gambling addiction in a tearful press conference. The former PFA Young Player of the Year spent three months in rehab before making his return in February 1995. Remarkably, Merson wasn't left out of a top-flight match across the subsequent two years.

Player

Time period

Consecutive appearances

Bukayo Saka

May 2021 — present

83

Paul Merson

Feb 1995 — Feb 1997

82

Gael Clichy

Mar 2007 — Apr 2009

78

Gabriel Magalhaes

Sep 2021 — present

76

Nigel Winterburn

Apr 1996 — Feb 1998

66

Granit Xhaka

Mar 2017 — Dec 2018

65

Bernd Leno

Sep 2018 — Jun 2020

62

Jens Lehmann

Feb 2005 — Nov 2006

61

Lee Dixon

Apr 1995 — Dec 1996

60

Olivier Giroud

Jan 2015 — May 2016

56

Merson fostered a strong relationship with Arsenal's dictatorial manager George Graham. When asking his coach why he always kept faith in him, Merson remembered Graham explaining: «If you have a Rolls Royce and it breaks down you get it fixed. If you have a Morris Minor and it breaks down you f*** it off.»

«That was it,» Merson recalled. «Straight back out that night!»

Yet, Graham was only Arsenal manager for two of Meron's 82 consecutive appearances before he was forced to dramatically step back from the role. Nevertheless, Stewart Houston, Bruce Rioch and the