Bukayo Saka was a late inclusion in Arsenal’s starting lineup to face Wigan Athletic on Sunday, operating in a surprising midfield role that Mikel Arteta has suggested he could play again.
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Bukayo Saka was initially named on the bench for Arsenal’s FA Cup fourth round tie against Wigan Athletic on Sunday, but when the teams emerged from the tunnel he was part of the starting lineup.
Arsenal announced that Riccardo Calafiori had dropped out of the team, with Mikel Artetaconfirming afterwards that the player is an injury doubt.
But it was still somewhat surprising to see Saka coming in. Arsenal had defensive and midfield options on the bench, so someone else could have come in at left-back, or if Myles Lewis-Skelly moved to the left then a natural midfielder could have replaced him centrally.
Instead, Saka played in the middle, and he put in an impressive display that had some fans asking if he might play there again in the future.
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“That’s something that’s a possibility,” Arteta said afterwards. “I wanted to try it, and we might use it in the future. There are still so many games, competitions and different scenarios to play in this season, and that’s a possibility that we have.
“He’s more central, he’s closer to the goal. It’s a bit more difficult for the opponent to get his reference constantly.
“He can interchange positions with a 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.”
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It’s an exciting possibility, particularly with Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz struggling so badly with injuries this season. Arsenal generally lack creativity in central areas when those two are out, but Saka can provide a good option in those circumstances.
With Saka coming off at half-time at 4-0, there’s every possibility he’ll be back in the starting lineup against Wolves on Wednesday. Which position he takes up will be very interesting to see.