Arsenal must hijack Crystal Palace talks to sign £12m winger who plays like Saka after injury blow - opinion
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Mikel Arteta has a dilemma on his hands at Arsenal after the 5-1 win against Crystal Palace.
The Gunners lost Bukayo Saka to a hamstring injury after just 24 minutes of that Premier League clash in south London on Saturday – a major blow for Arsenal seeing as the Hale End graduate has nine goals and 13 assists in 24 appearances across all competitions so far this season.
Raheem Sterling is also injured “for weeks” – according to Mikel Arteta – having suffered damage to his knee.
Saka could even be out until March with his hamstring problem.
With Arsenal evidently lacking depth in the wide attacking areas behind Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard right now, there is a player over in south London available for just £12m who could help.
Arsenal should explore Romain Esse move
Millwall No.25 Romain Esse is making headlines over at The Den.
The England U20 international has been delivering some electric performances on the right flank for the Lions so far this season, scoring four goals and providing one assist across 22 appearances in all competitions.
As you can see, Esse is a similar profile to Saka, preferring to play on the right flank where he can cut inside on his stronger left foot to devastating effect.
What should entice Arsenal the most about the 19-year-old, however, is the fact he only has a £12m release clause written into his Millwall contract, according to the Daily Mail.
Arsenal would need to outmuscle Crystal Palace
There is already a club in talks to sign Esse who Arsenal would need to fend off in Crystal Palace.
The Evening Standard state that Oliver Glasner’s side entered talks to sign the teenager at the beginning of December – ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.
Of course, Arsenal can offer Esse a better chance of silverware and the opportunity to play UEFA Champions League football – which Crystal Palace cannot – so if the Gunners do opt to get involved, they would presumably have a strong chance of beating the Eagles to the Millwall wonderkid.
