Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling injury updates
Today at 10:30 AM
The news is not great.
Bukayo Saka has a hamstring tear and will be out "many weeks" according to Mikel Arteta. There's no way to sugarcoat it — it's a massive blow to any and all of the Gunners' aspirations this season. The news is made worse by the news that Raheem Sterling, one of the backup options on the wing, picked up a knee injury in training that will keep him out for "weeks" per the Arsenal manager. The Gunners simply cannot catch a break this season.
Saka pulled up early in the 5-1 win over Crystal Palace, grabbing the back of his right leg and immediately signaling to the bench. He was on crutches after the match and a scan revealed the extent of the injury to the club. Without knowing the specifics of the injury, it's likely Saka will be out 6-8 weeks at a minimum. It could be longer depending on severity.
If you're looking for a silver lining of sorts, it probably is that Arsenal's odds of winning the Premier League given the current table were low as it is, so in terms of overall impact, there isn't as big of a hit in the league. The Gunners are in pretty good shape to earn a ticket straight to the Champions League Round of 16, which doesn't take place until the first and second week in March. It's possible that Saka will be able to take part in that tie.
The Arsenal winger will miss the two-legged Carabao Cup semifinal against Newcastle. Should the Gunners advance, there is a chance he'd be back in time for the final on March 16th. Saka will miss the FA Cup match against Manchester United and, should the club advance, the 4th and probably the 5th round tie.
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal will need to get creative in Saka and Sterling's absence. Arteta said he has some ideas on what he might do but is still fleshing things out. Moving Gabriel Martinelli to the right seems to be the simplest solution. The Brazilian winger moved over to the right when Leandro Trossard came on the replace Saka against Crystal Palace, and he looked threatening. It'd be a change for Martinelli and for the Arsenal attack — as a right-footer, Martinelli will want to get to the touchline and cutback rather than cut inside at 12-20 yards out.
I'd bet that we'll see some of Gabriel Jesus on the wing, too. The striker scored five goals in two matches against Crystal Palace and seems to be rediscovering his form at the right time given Saka and Sterling's injuries. We'll see more of Leandro Trossard, too. Ethan Nwaneri could get a bit more playing time, although given Mikel Arteta's non-use of the youngster in Martin Ødegaard's absence, that seems less likely. Nwaneri has generally played more centrally as opposed to on the wing anyway, although Arteta did mention his name when he listed guys who have / can play on the right. Interestingly, the Arsenal manager also included Kai Havertz on that list.
The injuries might push Arsenal to be more active in the January transfer window, which opens on New Year's Day. The Gunners don't usually make moves during the winter window, although they seemed ready to make a big splash two seasons ago on Mykhailo Mudryk (boy did the club dodge a bullet there). Generally, players cost more in January and you don't want to be buying out of necessity.
My feeling has long been that Arsenal were gearing up to take a big swing on an attacker this coming summer, so there is the possibility that they might try to move that up a window. But convincing a club to part with that level of player in the middle of the season is a tall order. It rarely happens, and when it does, the buying club pays a significant premium.
Right now, Arsenal don't have the option to loan-in another attacker. The Premier League rules only permit a club to register two loaned players at a time, with an absolute maximum of four in a season. Arsenal have two right now: Neto and Raheem Sterling. They'd have to not register one of those for the second half of the season, which is not likely to happen.
I think Arsenal are going to try to make it work with what they have. It'll require everyone —Havertz, Trossard, Martinelli, Jesus, and even Ødegaard — to pick up their attacking contribution. They'll have to do it with more of the defensive focus on them, too. Part of what makes the Arsenal attack tick is how much attention opponents have to dedicate to containing Bukayo Saka. He creates time and space for his teammates simply by being on the pitch. That's gone, for now. Everything will need to adjust.
Expect Arsenal to rely even more heavily on ball control, solid defense, and set pieces to grind out matches. It's what the Gunners do best and going back to your bread and butter in times of adversity makes sense. In a weird way, losing Bukayo Saka to injury might open things up on the pitch for Arsenal. Opponents won't be as cautious and may extend out of their defensive shape to push up the pitch in greater numbers more readily. The Gunners might have more and better opportunities for quick counters and direct attacks to replace some of the missing attacking punch.
The bottom line is that there isn't any way to replace Bukayo Saka, at least not fully. There's no "backing him up" either. He's just too good and important. He has 21 goal involvements in 21 matches in the Premier League and Champions League. The only way to "replace" that level of player is to have other stars on the roster capable of producing at that pace.
Saka is one of those players that you simply have to hope doesn't get hurt. For the first four years of his professional career, he didn't get hurt, at least not seriously. Now he has. We'll see how Arsenal do without him.
