Making bold moves in the player side of the game once again, New Balance have announced today that young Arsenal and England hotshot Bukayo Saka has officially signed with the brand. The capture comes as a huge boost to the brand, who will see Saka officially lining up alongside Sadio Mané in their ranks.
Bukayo Saka signing with New Balance is something we’ve been waiting to see officially confirmed for several months now, with the young Gunner having been seen in the brand’s boots as far back as September last year. Saka had been an adidas man prior to that, but from September onwards he was almost exclusively in New Balance boots, switching between different colourways over the intervening months. And now it is official: Bukayo Saka is a New Balance athlete.
Saka has been wearing the Furon v6 for both Arsenal and England for the past few of months and he will continue to do so, likely switching into the next generation v7 model when it drops in the near future, having already tested it out in training.
Family has been influential in the versatile forward’s development and was enlisted by New Balance to help photograph his debut campaign for the brand, with his brother, in part, capturing some of the shots.
“It feels amazing to have a brand like New Balance behind me," Saka said on signing with the brand. "Working with the team and having my family involved has been a great experience so far, and it’s only just starting. It’s been a special season with Arsenal and England and I’m excited about what the future can bring for my game and now also with New Balance.”
The move confirms a shift in New Balance’s approach towards player recruitment following the loss of Liverpool, although they have recently backed up their own team roster with the huge capture of Serie A side Roma.
Saka will now lineup alongside Sadio Mané, who has been the sole standard bearer for the brand at the elite level in the men’s game for the last few seasons. And it looks increasingly likely that he will not be the only player to join Mané, with numerous players spotted in various forms of New Balance boots over the last few months, as the brand casts its net far and wide to increase the list of players on its books. Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott has been playing for Blackburn in what appears to be a red version of the next generation of the Furon. His moves echo that of Saka, and it would be no surprise to hear of an official switch to New Balance for him also.
While the rumour of Raheem Sterling potentially joining the brand seems to have cooled off recently, the brand are clearly targeting a group of young superstars that are all set to make their marks on the game. Exciting times ahead.
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