Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury has left Arsenal reeling, with the winger out for at least two months after undergoing surgery.
The 23-year-old has been instrumental in the Gunners’ Premier League title charge over the past few seasons and Mikel Arteta will now have to find an alternative outlet if Arsenal are to taste glory this campaign.
As such, Arteta is understood to be looking for a temporary replacement for Saka during this January transfer window. Several names, including Mohammed Kudus, have already been linked with a move.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Saka has been involved in a swap deal of sorts. Back in 2022, Juventus cheekily tried to orchestrate a permanent swap for the England international.
Arsenal had absolutely no intentions of parting company with the academy graduate, but Juve felt they had a worthwhile tool to barter – a player the Gunners had already shown interest in after he snubbed them just 11 months earlier.
In early 2023, reports in Italy claimed that then-Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri had fallen in love with Saka so much that he wanted to test Arsenal’s resolve by offering Dusan Vlahovic in return.
Juventus, who had beaten Arsenal to the Serbian’s signature in 2022, thought this could be a way for all parties to profit. At the time, Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah were Arsenal’s only options at centre-forward.
And while they both contributed some big goals, neither was doing enough to convince Arteta they could fire the Gunners to the title. Saka, meanwhile, was the Gunners’ main man, but they had several wingers at their disposal and few traditional strikers.
Of course, such an audacious move never materialised, and it’s almost certain that the Gunners did not even entertain it. What’s more, Vlahovic has proven in the past that he is not entirely convinced by Arsenal, having previously snubbed their advances – a decision that stunned former Italy international Antonio Cassano.
Shortly after Vlahovic picked Juventus over Arsenal, Cassano told Bobo TV: “Juventus will not change with Allegri, neither next year nor in 10 years.
“In my opinion, [Vlahovic’s decision] is sensationally wrong. For the type of player I think he is he needed to make an intermediate step to a team like Arsenal, Tottenham, or Sevilla, who signed [Anthony] Martial. For me, you know, he has always been a second-tier player.”
Vlahovic would remain at Juventus, where he has contributed 53 goals and 11 assists in 123 appearances. While there have been many bright moments, the only honour he has scooped up at Juventus is the Coppa Italia.
Meanwhile, Saka has been pivotal to the Gunners. This season, he has helped himself to five goals and 10 assists in 16 Premier League appearances and four goals and two assists in five Champions League appearances.
Against Brentford, youngster Ethan Nwaneri was deployed in Saka’s place, with Gabriel Martinelli on the left and Gabriel Jesus through the middle. It worked for Arteta, with his side running out 3-1 winners, but it might not be the winning ticket for Arsenal’s season.
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