5 players Mikel Arteta will use to replace Bukayo Saka

It was meant to be a weekend of celebration for Arsenal after their 5-1 triumph at Crystal Palace, but supporters weren't able to revel in victory after pictures of Bukayo Saka on crutches surfaced post-match.

Those images set the tone for 48 hours of tension and trepidation. This was a season that promised so much in its infancy but has struggled to stumble upon any momentum. The absence of Saka for a sustained period could crush it completely.

Reports suggest that Arsenal will be without their superstar winger for as long as two months, although the January transfer window hands the club a lifeline. Supporters will doubtessly be bullish for an aggressive winter, but Mikel Arteta has so far insisted he'll be relying on those already available to him.

Here are the five players the manager name checked as possible solutions while Saka's sidelined (remember, Raheem Sterling's injured, too).

1. Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli's performance at Selhurst Park suggested that he took the Thierry Henry criticism personally. There was drive and vigour to his display, which was complemented by a goal, and importantly for the Gunners, it came from the right-hand side.

The Brazilian appears to be the primary alternative while Saka's out, with Arteta testing out Martinelli on his 'natural' flank on the final day of the season against Everton in May.

Speaking on Martinelli's utilisation down the right, Arteta said: “That’s the first one that we decided to go through, especially because he’s played there before. He played 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. It’s a good option to have. We’re going to have options to play both-footed as well, if we need to, another kind of profile in relation to the opposition.”

This is a huge few weeks for Martinelli, who's struggled for form since his electric 2022/23 campaign. Make or break.

2. Gabriel Jesus

The Eagles slayer has performed like August 2022 Gabriel Jesus over the past week.

Jesus netted his first Arsenal hat-trick in the 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals last Wednesday and followed that up with a pair of strikes at the weekend. Time will tell whether Jesus' upsurge was merely a false dawn, whether he truly detests Palace or the start of a renaissance.

We know that Jesus is a versatile operator, but he tends to rotate out to the left when deployed up top. However, Pep Guardiola occasionally used the Brazilian wide right and we saw Arteta deploy Jesus in this role against the Brazilian's former employers during a 1-0 win at the Emirates last season.

It would perhaps be more of a functional solution, but it's one Arteta could roll out to offer Martinelli respite.

3. Leandro Trossard

Arteta turned to Trossard as mitigation when Martin Odegaard spent two months out, but the Belgian, after an excellent start, eventually struggled with greater creative responsibility from a central position.

I'm sure many would love to see Trossard relegated to a clutch role off the bench, but Arteta hasn't got much choice but to thrust the experienced pro into a role of relative importance.

Trossard has been an excellent signing and his role in sustaining the club's title charge shouldn't be forgotten. He's come up trumps when the Gunners have needed him most in the past, and we could do with a clutch moment or two over the next couple of months.

He's rarely been utilised down the right in his career - just nine times in his career and once for Arsenal according to transfermarkt.com - but a dearth of options means the winger will get a run out in an unfamiliar function.

4. Kai Havertz

Don't shoot the messenger. This is what the boss has said. "Also Havertz can play there," eek.

The German will drift into wide areas, predominantly the right, when used up top in a bid to overload that zone and shift the attention away from Saka and Martin Odegaard. He'll also aim to face up against less aerially dominant full-backs when challenging in the air from a long David Raya kick upfield.

Havertz would not perform the role Saka's mastered, but maybe Arteta will go full Massimiliano Allegri and add a wide target man to his tactical repertoire.

5. Ethan Nwaneri

Arteta only recently suggested the teenager could be used as a false nine, and we saw Nwaneri function up top, if only briefly, against Palace on Saturday.

However, the boss also listed the 17-year-old as an option out wide.

While Nwaneri has rarely operated down the flanks throughout his youth career, I think I prefer this option to several alternatives. Firstly, it'd get the dazzling youngster on the pitch, and I think he boasts the requisite one-v-one quality to offer us something in Saka's role.

Nwaneri's a superb and robust drribler who shifts his weight with ease and rides challenges like a veteran. He has a great sense of timing, too, allowing him to connect and combine with aplomb. The teenager would work wonders with Martin Odegaard.

Sure, the solution's far from ideal, but it's one I'd absolutely liked to see rolled out from time to time. Arsenal will be playing a lot of games without Saka over the next couple of months, so there's plenty of scope for the manager to get creative.

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