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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 an extended period after injuring his hamstring in the recent win over Crystal Palace – a problem which required surgery.
Saka has been a constant front-runner for the north London outfit, but they did well without him on New Year’s Day as they saw off Brentford. Arsenal fell behind early on but eventually came away with a 3-1 win, with goals from Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, who have both stepped up in recent weeks amid the team’s third-choice issues last.
Martinelli was full of praise for his absent team-mate after the game, admitting they couldn’t replace Saka if they tried, but will all step in to try and fill the gap as Arteta considers dipping into the market over the next few weeks. . Martinelli said: “No one can take his place. He is one of the best players in the world. We trust ourselves and we will do 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 bettered only by Kai Havertz. The January transfer window is two days old and Arteta’s immediate plans are to try and make the most of what he already has in north London as they chase down league leaders Liverpool.
In terms of attacking talent he can call on Martinelli, Jesus, Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling. The final minutes are limited as Saka’s injury could open the door for more opportunities. However, Arsenal are not completely closed for business. Arteta said: “At the moment he’s looking after the players and getting the best out of them. At the moment our focus is our players. I love my players and I believe in what we have because there is 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’ll look at it”.
Arteta is said to have drawn up an eight-man shot list with a striker signaling his priority. Alexander Isak and Nico Williams are among the players on their radar.
