Arteta drops Arsenal transfer hint with Saka injury comment
Robin Bairner
- 30 Sept 2023 10:54 BST
- 4 min read
Mikel Arteta has suggested where Arsenal will focus their efforts in the January transfer window after passing comment on Bukayo Saka in a press conference before Saturday’s Premier League encounter against Bournemouth.
Saka, who came through the club's Hale End academy, lined up last weekend against Tottenham for his 86th Premier League match in succession, which represents a record among Gunners players.
While the 22-year-old’s remarkable resilience and ability to avoid injury is highlighted by this statistic, it also shows that Arsenal lack cover for him, and Arteta admitted before the Tottenham encounter that the player needs “protected”.
MORE: Arsenal's striker search could spell the end for three Hale End stars
Speaking to the media, the Gunners boss said: “I spoke about this over a year ago. It’s his mentality. If you want to be the player he wants to be, you have to have that mindset - to want to play every single minute at your best. Don’t just be there, make a contribution to your team to win games.
“That has changed in him. The way he prepares himself, the way he is always talking to people, the demands he sets on himself, the support he has around him. He has a lot of those ingredients and who knows how long the run can go.”
MORE: Record breaker Saka is a problem that Arteta will struggle to solve
Crucially, Arteta added: “We have to protect him, that is for sure. And we have to know when it is the right time to give him that rest. But there is something within him as well that is growing within him. That’s a really important part of his game.
“I think with experience he is recognising those situations where he could be injured much better and is exposing his body much less. In previous seconds before the action actually happens - and that is something we are working on to protect his physique.”
At present, Arsenal lack natural cover on the right wing, which is a role Saka has made his own in recent months, a fact that could also pose the Emirates club difficulties in recruitment.
Will Saka play against Bournemouth? Arsenal’s team news revealed
Saka has not trained fully this week but along with Declan Rice and William Saliba all travel to Bournemouth and have a shot at playing in the game.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, who are both players who might deputise for the winger, are more significant injury doubts.
