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Arsenal star winger Bukayo Saka suffered a freak injury in the Premier League game against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka is out with injury (AP)
Arsenal may explore the January transfer window to find a replacement for Bukayo Saka. The winger suffered a freak injury in the last Premier League game against Crystal Palace. After Arsenal won the away fixture 5-1, Mikel Arteta revealed that Saka would be sidelined for nearly 15 weeks due to a torn hamstring. He was seen leaving the ground on crutches. Arteta will also miss the service of Raheem Sterling who has been ruled out for a knee injury.
While the Arsenal boss aims to handle the situation with the remaining resources, Paris Saint Germain are reportedly set to offer them an attacking alternative in the form of Randal Kolo Muani. As claimed by The Standard, the Ligue 1 outfit might decide to release Kolo Muani on loan in January. It’s not yet confirmed whether Arsenal are interested in signing the French international.
Kolo Muani is currently regarded as one of the most exciting young prospects in European football. The 26-year-old joined PSG on a £75-million deal from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2023. He was supposedly roped in as a long-time replacement for Kylian Mbappe who shifted his base to Real Madrid.
Kolo Muani, however, has started in just two matches in the Ligue 1 this season. He has mostly played as a striker. The French forward is also able to operate through both flanks and can be a good choice to provide cover for Saka or Sterling.
Despite the challenges, Mikel Arteta has kept faith in his existing squad. “The preparation is done and we are ready if something happens. Obviously, we didn’t predict a situation with Bukayo and Raheem at the same time,” the Spanish manager said.
“We predicted more it would be something else, for example, if something happened in the defensive line, but the job is done. Then, okay, if something has to happen, we will be open. But the main focus is now, how will we extract still a lot of potential that there is in this squad,” he added.
As of now, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus or Ethan Nwaneri will be used as a replacement for Bukayo Saka. A new forward combination is expected to be seen when Arsenal face Ipswich Town in the next Premier League game on December 28 at home.
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