Gabriel Martinelli admits Bukayo Saka is “irreplaceable” as Mikel Arteta claims Arsenal will consider January reinforcements.
The Gunners will be without their star winger for a prolonged period after injuring his hamstring in the recent win over Crystal Palace – a problem which required surgery.
Saka has consistently been a leading light for the north London outfit, but they coped fine without him on New Year’s Day as they saw off Brentford. Arsenal went behind early but eventually left with a 3-1 victory, with goals from Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, who have both stepped up in recent weeks amid the team’s issues in the final third.
Martinelli was full of praise for his absent team-mate post-match, conceding that they couldn’t replace Saka if they tried, but they will all step in to try and fill the void as Arteta considers dipping into the market over the coming weeks. Martinelli said: “No-one can replace him. He is one of the best players in the world. We trust in ourselves and we will try our best for the club.”
Saka has often been one of Arsenal’s most influential players on the pitch and has scored nine times – a tally only bettered by Kai Havertz. The January transfer window is two days old and Arteta’s immediate plans is to try and maximise what he already has in north London as they hunt league leaders Liverpool.
In terms of attacking talent he can call upon Martinelli, Jesus, Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling. The latter’s minutes have been limited by Saka’s injury could open the door for more opportunities. Arsenal though are not completely closed off to business. Arteta said: “At the moment it is looking after the players and get the best out of them. At the moment our focus is our players. I really like my players and I believe in what we have as there’s a lot of quality and commitment.”
He went on to say that they will remain open minded, which they proved when they added Sterling on deadline day back in the summer. “Let’s see,” he added, “If there’s an opportunity we will look at it”.
Arteta is reported to have drawn up an eight-man hit list with a forward his priority signing. Alexander Isak and Nico Williams are among the players on their radar.
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read ourPrivacy Notice.
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £192 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Can Arsenal challenge for the title? Get your latest Gunners news with our FREE daily email newsletter
