Arsenal: 5 injuries Gunners can’t afford in top four hunt

4. Bukayo Saka

If asked whether you could choose only one of Odegaard or Saka to be in the team at any one time, most would probably plead the fifth. That’s a horrible question to ask.

Is it Odegaard, though? Nicolas Pepe must be frothing at the mouth over the prospect of playing on the right side with the Norwegian, just like Gabriel Martinelli might be asking Arteta whether he can have a go at switching sides for the same reason.

But with the form he’s in, losing Saka for even one game would be devastating. Don’t let any impressive, yet brief, Pepe cameos cloud judgement. The level Saka is performing at makes him irreplaceable. Who in the Premier League would you realistically swap him for?

The answer is nobody, other than perhaps Mohamed Salah, but you’d feel dirty doing it.

Saka is the shining beacon of this team and having Pepe come in on that side, someone without the physicality, the tactical intelligence or technical security, would have a significant impact on the team’s overall performance.

Could Arsenal get by on a few occasions? Depending on the opposition then maybe. But Saka is one of a kind.

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