Three unorthodox solutions Arsenal could make to fix the left-wing issue

Arsenal opted not to make a rash decision at the eleventh hour of the transfer window this summer, and while this was commendable, it has arguably left them short on quality attacking options off the left.

The Gunners had the option to do something for the sake of it on the left, with opportunities arising to add the likes of Malick Fofana and Iliman Ndiaye to their ranks before the deadline. Neither player convinced everyone at Sohba Realty, and they made the sensible decision to not rush into committing to a player they weren't wholeheartedly sold on.

However, this has left Mikel Arteta in something of a pickle. Christos Tzolis has looked promising in glimpses, but neutered performances away at Aston Villa and Brighton have shown that he's likely to be very hit-and-miss this term.

Meanwhile, Eberechi Eze's brief cameos off the left so far have indicated that his declining physical traits may mean that he's not well-suited to a wide role at this stage of his career. Arsenal will mostly be able to get by with these two options, but Arteta should be concocting a makeshift third choice in case things get stale on this front.

With that said, here are three unorthodox solutions to Arsenal's left wing problem.

Move Bukayo Saka or Noni Madueke to the left

Arsenal have two options off the right, both of whom have spent time on the left during their careers, so it makes sense to consider them for roles on this side at some point.

Bukayo Saka broke through as a left-back who essentially operated as an auxiliary left-winger in possession. This role brought the best out of him creatively, as he finished his debut campaign with 12 assists as a full-back.

He could certainly recreate this form, as the quality of his deliveries on his strong side are outstanding. However, the issue with moving the Gunners' talisman to this side is that he remains Arsenal's best attacker, so altering his position could be a pointless disruption of what currently works in Arteta's frontline.

Additionally, despite the hysteria around his loss of 'burst', Saka has made an incredibly encouraging start to the season as a goalscorer, and Arteta should look to build on this rather than switching things up. Nevertheless, it remains an option.

Noni Madueke would make more sense on the opposite side. Similar to one of his predecessors, Nicolas Pepe, Madueke can be a frightening ball carrier, but his game is often undone when it comes to making the final action or the right decision in the final third.

For a period, Arteta moved Pepe to the left to simplify his game, and the Ivorian's output profited as a result. The Spanish manager could do a similar thing with Madueke, and while Pepe's quality of finishing will always be superior to the ex-Chelsea man, this move might actually help him.

Playing on his stronger foot would enable Madueke to focus on driving to the byline and delivering the ball or taking shots, rather than trying intricate combination play.

Max Dowman could be trialled on this side

Arsenal fans are understandably eager to find a way to get Max Dowman into the team as quickly as possible. The youngster is naturally a right-sider, given his left-footedness, but this flank is crowded in Arteta's squad.

The likes of Saka, Madueke, and Martin Odegaard as a right-sided number ten mean it's difficult to shoehorn Dowman into the side. However, there's potentially space for him on the left.

While this is unlikely to be Dowman's position long-term, it could be a good way of getting him into the team temporarily. Like Saka when he was young, a stint on the left could be the making of the 16-year-old, before he makes his way back over to his natural side.

Dowman is arguably so good already that he'd find a way to make this work, even if it feels like putting a square peg into a round hole.

Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie could play together

In perhaps the most unorthodox suggestion, Arsenal could deploy two left-backs on the left side together. It'd certainly be very Arteta-coded.

Both Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori are excellent players, but the Italian's exceptional form means the Ecuadorian is being left on the sidelines for the bulk of the minutes. Against good teams in particular, Arteta could start both, with Calafiori oestensibly the left-winger, but nominally fulfilling an inverted role as Hincapie charges on the outside of him.

Arteta is unlikely to experiment with this, but it'd be an interesting set-up to take a look at at some point this season.

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