'Majorly missing': Ian Wright suggests Mikel Arteta should've started 'special' Arsenal youngster vs Bournemouth
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Arsenal slipped up on the weekend when they lost against Bournemouth which now has them sitting four points off the lead.
Mikel Arteta‘s side were left rueing another red card which put them on the back foot against a lesser opposition.
It is still early in the season with plenty of time for the Gunners to make up the gap on Liverpool who are currently sitting at the top.
And this weekend will offer them with the perfect opportunity given Arne Slot’s side are making the
However, there were changes which Ian Wright feels the Arsenal boss could have made that could have boosted the Gunners down on the south coast.
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Ian Wright thinks ‘special’ Arsenal youngster should’ve started vs Bournemouth
The game on the weekend against Bournemouth saw Arsenal dealing with a number of injury issues with Martin Odegaard still missing.
Mikel Merino has now made his return to the squad after joining in the summer before being ruled out with a shoulder injury.
But Wright feels as if the Gunners were seriously lacking some creativity in the midfield during their game at Bournemouth.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Wright says he would have liked to see Ethan Nwaneri start over Thomas Partey.
“You know, when I saw Merino, Partey and Rice, I was thinking, Nwaneri, the youngster, I think, against Bournemouth, you know, if you’ve got those two, you can kind of have maybe as a double-pivot, whether it’s whether it’s Declan and Merino,” he said.
“I think you need somebody like Nwaneri who can do something and create something, because I think that’s what was majorly missing the other day, creating something, something to beat somebody.
“Somebody to beat someone with the ball. Probably against Bournemouth, personally, I probably would have taken a chance on him, instead of having Partey, Merino and Declan. I’d have had Merino, Rice, and Nwaneri playing in there just for that little bit of something.”
Instead, the 17-year-old was handed a mere nine minutes off the bench once the game had gotten away from the Gunners.
Martin Odegaard injury update
Odegaard has now been out injured with an ankle issue since the first international break of the 2024/25 campaign.
The Arsenal captain has only made three appearances in the Premier League so far this season but is heading towards a return.
“They are closer. Both are progressing well. Martin is not fit. With Bukayo let’s see how he is with the training session later on,” Arteta told the media on Monday on Bukayo Saka and Odegaard’s respective issues.
Given Wright felt there was a clear lack of creativity in the game against Bournemouth, Arsenal will be hoping for Odegaard’s return to come sooner rather than later.
However, his suggestion of starting the ‘special‘ Nwaneri may not quite be an option on the weekend given they are coming up against the Premier League leaders.
