Sports
Mikel Arteta Must Find Way to Start Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka for Arsenal
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has to find a way to fit Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka in the same team after the former’s display against Club Brugge on Wednesday night.
After an impressive few transfer windows, Arteta now has a squad that has a strong chance of winning the Premier League. The depth throughout the Gunners’ side is incredibly impressive, leading to players such as Eberechi Eze, Piero Hincapie, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Madueke not having a guaranteed place in the starting XI.
Although it’s a huge positive for Arteta to have so many high-level players to choose from, it’s undoubtedly given him plenty of selection headaches. Injuries have led to natural rotation, but when everyone is fit, it’s going to be difficult for Arteta to keep everyone happy.
Noni Madueke Must Start for Arsenal Alongside Bukayo Saka
After his display against Club Brugge, Arteta now has to find a way to give Madueke more game time from the start. Although the England international is competing with Saka on the right-hand side, making it difficult for him to find a place in the side, Arteta needs to figure out how to play them both.
Madueke, who earns £187,500-a-week at the Emirates Stadium, and Saka are both capable of playing on the left, although maybe not at the same level, and it’s definitely something that’ll be worth the manager experimenting with over the coming weeks. Gabriel Martinelli hasn’t always convinced on the left, while Leandro Trossard often appears to be more effective from the bench.
It’s unlikely that we’re going to see Saka dropped too often, particularly in the Premier League, so finding a solution where they both start could be beneficial.
Madueke Surprising People This Season
The signing of Madueke raised a few eyebrows in the summer transfer window, with the Gunners investing significantly in a player who was likely to be just a backup. Arteta has shown this season how important squad players can be, and Madueke is certainly contributing to that.
The north London side are competing in a host of different competitions, and Madueke has shown that he was a worthy buy in the summer, despite not being a guaranteed starter. If Arteta can find a solution to get the best out of both Saka and Madueke, then they could create a scary attack heading into the second half of the season.
