The Bukayo Saka injury has caused a major headache to pop up for Mikel Arteta amidst Arsenal’s amazing start to their 2026/27 season because of the kind of promising form that the English winger was starting to show. However, the Saka injury was sustained in the Gunners’ spirited 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, and the winger appears to have really hurt himself.
Mikel Arteta confirmed that the Saka injury was a muscle injury that he suffered and branded it as ‘really bad news’ as well. Now, it’s being claimed that the Saka injury will keep the Englishman out of action for almost two months, and that means Bukayo is poised to miss a string of matches.
Despite attending the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony to collect the Socrates Award, Saka is still not in the best shape to play. The Bukayo Saka injury situation means that Arteta now has to rely on the other players at his disposal to play in that right-wing role for Arsenal.
Who Is the Go-to Option for Arsenal After the Saka Injury?
For Mikel Arteta, the Saka injury means having to rely on Noni Madueke to play on the right wing for Arsenal for the majority of their clashes until the English winger returns.
Noni Madueke’s form in the early phase of the 2026/27 season has been pretty topsy-turvy, as he had a difficult start, but has been able to improve it in recent matches and even scored the winner for the Gunners in the recent narrow win over Nottingham Forest.
Madueke now has a perfect chance at convincing Arteta to play him more regularly in the right-wing role and prove he can strongly compete with Saka for that spot in the Arsenal frontline. To do so, Madueke needs to be much more reliable with his output in the final third.
He might like doing a few tricks and skills, but Noni’s main focus needs to be more accurate with his crossing to create big chances. He also needs to ensure that his shooting is precise, which can elevate his goal threat and prove him to be capable of thriving in the frontline role.
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The Potentially Surprising Benefactor From Bukayo Saka Injury
The Saka injury also means that Arsenal’s promising youngster Max Dowman can now expect to potentially get more playing time on a regular basis in the Gunners’ matches. The teenage sensation has earned the faith of Mikel Arteta because of the kind of quality he’s shown to be capable of producing against players much older than him.
Dowman has amazed for Arsenal in the 2026/27 Carabao Cup so far, getting two goals in their win over Ipswich Town in the third-round clash. To reach the potential level where he can start in important matches, the Englishman has to be way more impactful in whatever playing time he gets.
The 16-year-old will need to focus on not just entertaining fans with his silky movement, but also being much more decisive in the final third. He needs to put in inviting passes into the middle more often, and also add more ruthlessness to his shooting to prove himself a major asset for Arsenal.
Extra Time Notes
The Bukayo Saka injury has caused a shortcoming in coming into the right-wing role for Arsenal. There aren’t really an overflowing amount of options in that position for the Gunners, but Mikel Arteta will need to create a plan so that Saka’s absence isn’t felt badly by his side.
This blow is likely to result in good news for Madueke, who is anyhow the secondary option to Saka in that position at Arsenal. Madueke has a big chance to strengthen his hold in that role, but he needs to be much more consistent with his goal contributions to do so.
This blow should also open up more playing time for Max Dowman, who now has a chance of making a major impact in Arsenal’s matches as long as he’s able to capitalise on whatever minutes are given to him with some proactive performances that result in goal contributions.
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