Don’t rule out a January signing: How Arsenal could cope without Bukayo Saka

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka left Selhurst Park on crutches and in visible discomfort after limping off the pitch with an apparent hamstring injury during his team’s 5-1 win over Crystal Palace.

Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, said he was “quite concerned” about Saka’s injury, which is the third such problem the England winger has suffered this season.

With Saka now seemingly waiting for a break, Arteta must find a solution to his absence. Here, Telegraph sports assesses four options for Arsenal as they try to adjust to life without their most effective attacking player.

Is it time for Raheem Sterling to shine?

This has been a difficult season for Sterling, who has barely featured for Arsenal since his dramatic deadline day loan move from Chelsea.

Sterling’s chances were limited as he was effectively used as a replacement for Saka on the right. Arteta apparently does not consider him a serious option on the left wing, with Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli competing for that role.

It was telling, for example, that Sterling started on the right wing for the only time this season when Saka was unavailable for a Premier League game. That was against Bournemouth in October, and Sterling’s game lasted just 37 minutes as Arteta was forced to reshuffle his team due to a red card.

In short, Sterling was brought in to cover Saka in an emergency. It now appears that this emergency has arrived.

Typical of Sterling’s bad luck is that he is currently suffering from an injury. The 30-year-old suffered an injury in training ahead of the trip to Palace this week. His recovery from this problem will determine whether he has an extended spell in the team during Saka’s likely absence.

“We lost Raheem yesterday and we don’t know for how long,” Arteta said on Saturday.

Gabriel Jesus on the grand piano?

Had Saka been injured a week ago rather than this weekend, Gabriel Jesus would have been the obvious candidate to replace him on the right. However, after back-to-back meetings against Palace, in which Jesus scored five goals in four days, it is clear that he is now thriving as a central striker.

It’s entirely possible that Arteta could ask Jesus to change his position and play on the wing, where he regularly impressed for Manchester City earlier in his career, but from Arsenal’s perspective it would be an equal shame not to allow the Brazilian to continue to build his momentum in a central position. Jesus flies. Moving him could clip his wings.

Gabriel Martinelli: right winger instead of left winger?

Arteta’s reaction to the loss of Saka on Saturday was to move Martinelli from his usual left wing to the right wing. It’s not an area of ​​the pitch where Martinelli has much experience, but he impressed there against Palace, delivering accurate crosses and scoring with a close-range finish.

It can be argued that Martinelli would have enjoyed playing on the right side more than the left side, where he has been inconsistent in recent weeks. On Arsenal’s right side, he will play alongside top creative player Martin Odegaard and a full-back in Jurrien Timber, who creates space with his technical ability and ability to overlap.

If Martinelli played on the right, Trossard could operate from his preferred position on the left wing.

Use the transfer window to strengthen the squad

There has been a lot of talk about Arsenal’s supposed need for a new centre-forward, but there is a strong argument that they should be more interested in signing a quality winger. Martinelli and Trossard have not been consistent enough on the left wing, meaning Arsenal rely on Saka too often in attack.

Depending on the severity, could Saka’s injury force Arsenal into the transfer market? January isn’t typically a window in which they like to do business, but this area of ​​the roster was already feeling a bit loose. If Saka is out for a long period of time, it will feel a lot easier.

It’s far from easy to acquire a top player in the January window, but it’s not impossible. Arsenal, for example, signed Odegaard on loan in January 2021 and that was the start of a special journey for both the Norwegian and the club. Don’t rule out a similar move next month.

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