Mikel Arteta names 5 internal Bukayo Saka replacements | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has suggested that Arsenal have a few internal solutions to Arsenal’s right-wing problem, with Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling set to be out for a while.

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The bad news that Arsenal fans have been fearing arrived earlier this week, with Sami Mokbel reporting for the Daily Mail that the club fear Bukayo Saka will be out until March with a hamstring injury.

Saka still plans to see another specialist following more scans, at which point his expected absence will be more concrete. But the Gunners believe he’s torn his hamstring, and there are concerns he’ll be out until late February or early March.

On top of that, Raheem Sterling is undergoing further tests on a knee injury suffered in training, and the expectation is that he’ll miss weeks of action as well.

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As you’d expect, the fan reaction to the injuries has mostly revolved around potential signings the club could make. But speaking in his pre-Ipswich Town press conference, Mikel Arteta suggested there are internal solutions to the problem.

“[Martinelli is] the first one that we decided to go through, especially because he’s played there before,” Arteta began. “He played the last game there against Everton in the last match of the season. He did really well.

“I think he did really well again the other day. He scored a goal, he created an assist. And it’s a good option to have. We’re going to have the options to play both footed as well. If we need to, another kind of profile in relation to the opposition.

“Gabby [Jesus] has played there, Ethan [Nwaneri] has played there, Leo [Trossard] can play there in relation to how that unit moves. Kai [Havertz] can play there, asking him different things. So, we’ll see, try to speak to them as well and understand how they feel about it.”

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Gabriel Martinelli certainly seems like the most obvious solution for the time being. Leandro Trossard is available to play on the left, and Gabriel Jesus can fill in on that side as well, so Martinelli isn’t indispensable in his usual position.

Arteta pointed out that Martinelli played well on the right against Everton and Palace, and the Brazilian international has arguably struggled to replicate that level of performance on the left recently. Perhaps swapping wings could be good for both him and the team.

But the winger is evidently just one of a number of players Arteta is considering. Nwaneri is another genuine option, considering how comfortable he’s looked when picking up positions similar to the ones Saka usually occupies.

Ideally, you’d keep Trossard on the left and Jesus and Havertz as centre-forward options. But if Martinelli and Nwaneri can’t do the job, Arteta may have to adapt quickly before too much damage is done.

One thing is for certain, Arsenal won’t find anyone in the squad capable of matching Saka’s levels individually. Covering for the England international’s absence is going to be more of a team effort.