Arsenal may not need another Bukayo Saka on the left after all

Arsenal’s first-leg Champions League draw with Bayer Leverkusen was characterized by poor play from Bukayo Saka and a dribble into the box by his opposite number Noni Madueke that drew the penalty and gave the Gunners the tying goal that sent them back to the Emirates on level terms and set up their ultimate triumph over the German side. 

No one is suggesting that Saka is now surplus to requirements after one bad game, but Arsenal fans and neutrals might wonder: Does Arsenal need a winger of similar quality to complement Saka?

There aren’t many wingers who could provide the same quality of play from the left as Saka does from the right. The list comes down to Vinícius Júnior, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Kenan Yıldız, and their respective teams are unlikely to let those stars go. There’s a distinct chance of Juventus falling out of Italy’s Champions League places and needing to sell off Yıldız, but Arsenal can’t do much about that right now other than root for Juve’s opponents.

(Also worth rooting for: Como 1907. The plucky underdogs from Lombardy are currently keeping Juventus out of fourth place, led by Coach Cesc Fàbregas.)

Perhaps Arsenal don't actually need a new left-winger

Arsenal already have Madueke, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Martinelli on their books, so it’s hard to argue that the team needs to bolster the position. Any improvements on that corps would be on the margins. 

If the Gunners had some magic sauce to turn Jadon Sancho back into the player he was at Dortmund, then that would be worth a flier. Maybe Anthony Gordon decides he wants to keep playing in the Champions League next season, though it would still take some doing to convince Newcastle to give up their feather-haired star. At their ages, Daizen Maeda and Kerem Aktürkoğlu are unlikely to improve much beyond their current state.

All this raises the question: Is there really a problem if no solution presents itself? As it is, Arsenal have the league title in their sights and head to the Champions League quarterfinals facing the weakest opposition left (Sporting Lisbon). For all the talk about the Gunners “bottling it,” it’s their Premier League rivals who have dropped points that they should have bagged. 

If the North London side emerge from this season with only one trophy, or if some epic collapse causes Arsenal to lose the title somehow, perhaps things will look different. As things stand, though, Arsenal fans should be casting yearning glances at the trophies they could win rather than the wingers they could sign.