‘No-one can replace Saka’ – but Nwaneri, 17, gives Arsenal hope

“No-one can replace him. One of the best players in the world is him.

Gabriel Martinelli’s comments about Bukayo Saka reveal how much Arsenal depends on the England international winger, how much they miss him when he is out with a hamstring problem, and how the entire front line must step up to take his place.

That was the case in their 3-1 win over Brentford, where Arsenal came from behind thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martinelli, either side of Mikel Merino’s close-range strike.

But while Jesus and Martinelli scored, it was the third member of the front triumvirate, 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri on his first Premier League start, who really impressed.

Nwaneri, who made his Premier League debut as a 15-year-old at Brentford two years ago and has appeared 10 times as a sub in the league in 2024-25 before his start here, played key roles in Arsenal’s two goals in three second-half minutes.

Saka’s injury is a major blow to Arsenal’s title hopes – it is up to his team-mates now, not just one player, to limit the damage.

Due to a medical issue that forced Kai Havertz to be ruled out of the game, this victory was doubly satisfying for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. He later explained how some of those who did play at Brentford’s had been affected by the slow start.

Since Saka hasn’t been in this season, it meant Arteta has to switch to a different tactic.

Raheem Sterling played right wing when Saka was unable to recover from Bournemouth’s 2-0 defeat in August. Before William Saliba’s red card, he was largely ineffective, and he has since become a distant player this season due to injury issues.

Martinelli started there and played 90 minutes for Brentford before returning to the position he once held at the team, winning 1-0 against Ipswich.

Against Brentford, however, Arteta deployed Nwaneri in the role Saka has perfected, cutting in as a left-footed right winger. And Arsenal appeared much more coherent as a result.

The teenager was impressed by the teenager’s lack of ball, despite the fact that Nwaneri and Martinelli had the fewest touches of any outfielders in the first half. Only one player completed all of his passes in the opening 17th of the year.

When Arsenal needed it, he had to see if he could step up in the second half. It was an exam that the college-aged student passed with flying colours.

“He just makes me smile”, TNT Sports pundit Karen Carney said of Nwaneri. “He’s brave, he’s bold – for someone who’s so young as well.

” For a young man he was outstanding. He was encouraging to watch. I can’t believe how young he is – he will be an absolute player for Arsenal. “

” He’s definitely going to get chances with Saka not available, “added former Arsenal defender Martin Keown”. Under the bonnet, everything is waiting to come out.

“It’s really important to have those players in the group who can demonstrate the standard of the academy.”

Since giving Nwaneri his debut, Arteta has handled him with kid gloves, but he now sees this as the moment and place to give him the most attention of his career thus far.

“We had a 17-year-old in the starting line-up who did great”, Arteta told his post-match media conference. Ethan was the best player to start the game in that position, I thought. He also made his Premier League debut here, which can sometimes be helpful.

Nwaneri is undoubtedly Arsenal’s best player right now, despite the fact that he isn’t yet a perfect replacement for Saka.

Both Saka’s final full Premier League game before suffering an injury, which was a goalless draw against Everton, and Nwaneri’s against Brentford, are very similar, suggesting that the youngster fits most naturally into Arsenal’s system.

In contrast, Martinelli’s game against Ipswich, where he is much closer to the byeline as one would expect from a right-footed right winger, shows how forced Arsenal are to play with him in that capacity.

No other Gunners player who played the entire 90 minutes had fewer touches of the ball, and the Brazilian didn’t have a shot or create a chance for a team-mate in that game.

Jesus continues to excel in the middle despite Nwaneri’s impressive performance against Brentford.

Before Saka went off against Crystal Palace, Jesus had one goal in 20 appearances. Since then Jesus has six in four, as many as in his previous 48 games. In the last two weeks, he has scored a remarkable 23% of his club goals.

Whether freed up by Saka’s absence or stepping up to shoulder his share of responsibility, it has been a extraordinary, timely and welcome transformation.

” It is a quality of the team to share the goals, “said Arteta”. They]Jesus and Martinelli] are so consistent in the way they train and behave. “

Since Saka’s injury, there have been more calls for an attacker to be signed by Arsenal since January.

It’s unknown whether they will be able to enter the market. Due to Sterling and Neto filling their two temporary positions from premier league clubs, they are unable to sign anyone on loan.

And without the arguably their biggest star, it will be difficult to communicate with Liverpool’s leaders until Saka returns, which might come as late as March.