Gabriel Martinelli comments speak volumes as Arsenal transfer plans come to light
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Gabriel Martinelli admits Bukayo Saka is "irreplaceable" as Mikel Arteta claims Arsenal will consider January reinforcements. The Gunners will be without their star winger for a prolonged period after injuring his hamstring in the recent win over Crystal Palace - a problem which required surgery.
Saka has consistently been a leading light for the north London outfit, but they coped fine without him on New Year's Day as they saw off Brentford. Arsenal went behind early but eventually left with a 3-1 victory, with goals from Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, who have both stepped up in recent weeks amid the team's issues in the final third.
Martinelli was full of praise for his absent team-mate post-match, conceding that they couldn't replace Saka if they tried, but they will all step in to try and fill the void as Arteta considers dipping into the market over the coming weeks. Martinelli said: "No-one can replace him. He is one of the best players in the world. We trust in ourselves and we will try our best for the club.".
Saka has often been one of Arsenal's most influential players on the pitch and has scored nine times - a tally only bettered by Kai Havertz. The January transfer window is two days old and Arteta's immediate plans is to try and maximise what he already has in north London as they hunt league leaders Liverpool.
In terms of attacking talent he can call upon Martinelli, Jesus, Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling. The latter's minutes have been limited by Saka's injury could open the door for more opportunities. Arsenal though are not completely closed off to business. Arteta said: "At the moment it is looking after the players and get the best out of them. At the moment our focus is our players. I really like my players and I believe in what we have as there's a lot of quality and commitment.".
