Ahead of a tough Premier League run-in for Arsenal, boss Mikel Arteta has given an interesting response about whether Bukayo Saka could continue playing in a more central role after his showing against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on Sunday.
A Hale End graduate, Saka has been the shining light for the Gunners in years gone by and much of his magic, for club and country, has been on the right wing.
Initially, Saka – who has seven goals and the same number of assists to his name this season – was named among the substitutes for Arsenal’s fixture against the League One outfit.
An injury to Riccardo Calafiori in the warm-up, however, saw Arteta place his trust in the 24-year-old – but in an unfamiliar position. Goals from Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and an own goal from Jack Hunt saw them run out 4-0 victors.
Could Saka behind the striker be Arteta’s antidote?
The young Myles Lewis-Skelly was originally set to play in the engine room but was pushed back to left-back following Calafoiri’s withdrawal, thus leaving Saka to take up an unusual role as Arsenal’s playmaker-in-chief in the number 10 position.
Arteta, following his side’s advancement into the next round where they will face Mansfield Town, was asked by reporters whether Saka could be placed in the role behind the striker moving forwards. Instead of keeping his cards close to his chest, the Spaniard said:
“Yeah, that’s something that’s a possibility, and I wanted to try it and we might use it in the future. We still have so many games, competitions and different scenarios to play in this season, and that’s a possibility that we have.”
“Well, he’s more central, he’s closer to the goal,” Arteta continued when asked why he liked the Englishman in the role.
“It’s a bit more difficult for the opponent to get his reference constantly. He can interchange positions with the wide player as well, and he’s so good at picking those spaces. When he’s there, he can really hurt you with the ball.”
Taken off at the half-time interval with future matches in mind, Bukayo Saka enjoyed 37 touches of the ball – three of which were inside Wigan’s box – and completed five passes into the final third.
Saka operating from a more central hub could be commonplace in the future given that Martin Odegaard has struggled to reach the heights expected from a talisman in a team at the top of the Premier League and Eberechi Eze is still finding his feet in the north of the capital.
Carragher wants more from the forward in Premier League run-in
The importance of now and the end of season cannot be understated. Arsenal have run the risk of becoming the Premier League’s nearlymen after finishing runners up three season on the trot – and Arteta will need his most-valuable players to step up to the plate.
Saka, having graduated from the academy, is among those. Jamie Carragher, though, is of the belief that Arsenal lack a cutting-edge talent in the forward areas.
“When I watch Arsenal, I don’t think they’ve got an absolute superstar in the front four or five players,” the former Liverpool defender said.
| Date | Opponent (H/A) | Competition |
| 18/02/26 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (A) | Premier League |
| 22/02/26 | Tottenham Hotspur (A) | Premier League |
| 01/03/26 | Chelsea (H) | Premier League |
| 04/03/26 | Brighton & Hove Albion (A) | Premier League |
| 07/03/26 | Mansfield Town (A) | FA Cup |
In particular, he singled out Saka and captain Odegaard as two players that have stagnated under Arteta this term. “I thought [Bukayo] Saka and [Martin] Odegaard were going to get there a few years ago,” he said before adding, “I thought they were ready to almost become the best players in the Premier League. I still don’t think Arsenal have got one of them.”
After picking up a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Brentford last time out, Arsenal will be looking to get back to winning ways on Wednesday against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
