After two consecutive draws, Mikel Arteta's team returned to the championship race when they crushed Crystal Palace with a score of 5-1 in round 17 of the Premier League. However, Arsenal paid a heavy price when Bukayo Saka suffered a serious injury and had to move around on crutches after the match. According to the Telegraph, the English striker is likely to be out of action for a long time and has no return date.
"We are quite worried about Saka's injury. He has a hamstring problem and cannot continue playing. The specific extent of this injury will probably be checked further. However, we are quite worried because Saka is very important for the whole team, said Arteta.
Bukayo Saka is currently the best striker and cannot be replaced at Arsenal. According to statistics, the English striker has 9 goals and 13 assists after 24 matches in all competitions. In the Premier League alone, the striker born in 2001 also has 5 goals and 10 assists after 16 matches.
Saka's injury is a real concern for Mikel Arteta as the season is about to enter the decisive stage. In the Premier League, Arsenal are in 3rd place and are closely chasing Liverpool and Chelsea. In the Champions League, the Gunners also have many opportunities to continue.
In the current context, Arteta needs to find a solution soon for Saka's absence. According to the Telegraph, Gabriel Martinelli could be an interesting change to refresh The Gunners' attack. As soon as Saka had to leave the field due to injury, Mikel Arteta moved Martinelli to the right wing. Although not in his best position, the Brazilian player played well and scored a goal in the 60th minute.
In fact, Gabriel Martinelli is not in good form despite often starting on the left wing of his strength.This often makes Arsenal's left-wing attack ineffective and lacks cohesion.Therefore, if he starts from the right wing, Martinelli can be supported and connected more from the combination with Martin Odegaard, or overlapping situations with Jurrien Timber.This change also helps Leandro Trossard work more as a left winger.Similar to his compatriot, Gabriel Jesus could also be one of the options Mikel Arteta considers.The 27-year-old striker has impressed at Manchester City as a right winger thanks to his ability to sweep and wide range of activities.
However, after impressive performances with 5 goals against Crystal Palace, Arteta is likely to still want Jesus to reach his full potential as a centre-forward.Raheem Sterling could also be given a chance, having started on the right wing against Bournemouth in October.Since joining Arsenal, Sterling has not been given many opportunities as he could not compete for the left wing position with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli.However, the former Man City player is also injured and was not registered for the match against Crystal Palace.
We received the news that Raheem Sterling was injured yesterday and we dont know how long it will take for him to return, Mikel Arteta shared.
In the context of the season entering the most severe stage, it is not impossible that Arsenal needs to urgently add new players to the attack in the winter transfer window. According to the Telegraph, the Emirates team should recruit quality wingers, instead of a central striker. Because both Martinelli and Trossard have played inconsistently on the left wing, that has led to the quality of Arsenal's goals coming largely from Saka's right wing.
