SETTABLOID

Gabriel Martinelli has branded Bukayo Saka as irreplaceable but says the Arsenal squad trust themselves to cope without the superstar.

Martinelli was one of three different goalscorers in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Brentford, with Gabriel Jesus and Mikel Merino seeing the Gunners to a comeback victory. The three points mean Arsenal move back up to second and six points within Premier League leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

The visitors coped well without Saka, who is Arsenal’s most productive player this season with nine goals and 13 assists so far. The winger is set to be out for at least two months with a hamstring setback.

The 23-year-old has been required to undergo a procedure on his muscle, which he damaged in last month’s 5-1 win at Crystal Palace.

The attacker’s absence comes as a huge blow for Mikel Arteta, whose side is looking to cut the gap to Liverpool in the title race. Martinelli admitted that his team have lost a world class talent for the foreseeable future but backs his teammates to cover the void.

Speaking to TNT Sports after full-time against Brentford, Martinelli said of Saka: “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.”

Arsenal kicked off 2025 in style with a 3-1 Premier League win away at Brentford – which saw them move back up to second in the table. Bryan Mbeumo netted the opener, but the Gunners then hit back and scored three without reply to go back within six points of leaders Liverpool.

Following Mbeumo’s early strike, David Raya looked to have handed his old club a second goal when he failed to catch a Keane Lewis-Potter shot with the ball then bouncing over his head only to just claw it off the line. It was a huge turning point in the game, though, with Gabriel Jesus equalising in the following 60 seconds.

Mikel Merino then turned home a scrappy corner early in the second period – with Gabriel Martinelli adding a third goal just moments later. Given Brentford had lost just once at home before the visit of Arsenal along with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest also winning, it was a very big victory for Arsenal.

Arsenal’s next five Premier League fixtures

January 4 vs Brighton (A) at 5.30pm – Premier League

January 15 vs Tottenham (H) at 8pm – Premier League

January 18 vs Aston Villa (H) at 5.30pm – Premier League

January 25 vs Wolves (A) at 3pm – Premier League

February 2 vs Manchester City (H) at 4:30pm – Premier League

Arsenal have been told that Dani Olmo is not considering a move away from Barcelona, despite the club’s troubles in registering the player.

The Spanish giants are facing a fight to be able to register the midfielder for the second half of the season, meaning he could be available on a free transfer when the January window opens. That has reportedly sparked interest from Arsenal, as well as Manchester United, Man City and Chelsea.

Barcelona completed the signing of Olmo from Red Bull Leipzig in the summer, and were able to agree a temporary solution with La Liga following the long-term injury to Andreas Christensen. That agreement, however, expires at the end of December.

It is reported that Barcelona are trying to come up with a solution that will see them deal a £82.9 million deal to sell VIP boxes at the Camp Nou to Middle East investors. That could potentially free up finances to be able to register Olmo, but it’s now a race against time.

Interested clubs will be watching the situation with interest. But the player’s agend Andy Bara has now sent a clear message to those clubs.

Arsenal talent Ethan Nwaneri has named Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka as the two senior players who have most helped him settle into the Gunners first-team this season.

Nwaneri made history in September 2022 when he made his senior debut aged just 15 years and 181 days, becoming Arsenal’s youngest ever player, as well as the English top flight’s youngest too.

He was so young that Nwaneri didn’t sign his first professional contract until March of this year, but has now become a permanent member of Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad. So far in 2024/25, it’s been 16 appearances and counting for the 17-year-old – including three starts and four goals.

Saka joined Arsenal when he was seven-years-old and made his first-team debut in late 2018, a few weeks after turning 17. The winger was a regular by 18 and has already hit 250 games. Odegaard was even more of a teen prodigy, training with the first-team at Stromsgodset in Norway from the age of 13 and making his debut at 15. A month after turning 16, he joined Real Madrid, having had every leading club across Europe on his tail in a very public transfer pursuit.

The January transfer window is here and clubs across the league will be scrambling to improve their squads ahead of the second half of the season.

Arsenal are in a strong position as they have an opportunity to move into second place in the Premier League standings with a win away at Brentford on New Year’s Day. They are in contention to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League, while they are in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.

However, the recent injury to Bukayo Saka has put a dent in the Gunner’s title hopes. The winger limped off during the Premier League win over Crystal Palace earlier this month and has since undergone surgery on the hamstring injury.

That means the January transfer window could prove to be pivotal for Mikel Arteta as he looks to ensure his squad can continue to compete on all four fronts this term. While the market mid-season tends to be a lot quieter than in the summer, clubs are always prepared to act when the right player is available at the right price.

Viktor Gyokeres signs

Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres is the name everybody is talking about this season. The 26-year-old has scored 27 goals and registered six assists for his club across all competitions and only half of the campaign has been played.

Arsenal travel to Brentford to take on a side whose home record is extremely challenging. The Gunners know that a win will see them close the gap to Liverpool to six points having played a game more and can open the gap to Chelsea to four and Manchester City to eight.

Mikel Arteta witnessed Chelsea fail where his Arsenal side succeeded as the Blues lost to Ipswich to allow the opportunity to turn what was a four-point deficit a fortnight ago on its head. The team have been working to cope with the absence of Bukayo Saka and have been further hurt by other issues in the wide areas.

Arsenal posted to their official website a glimpse behind the scenes at the training session ahead of the trip to Brentford.

Four players absent

The first point of note is who is not pictured in the training images ahead of the game. Arsenal have had a rare extended break between games that other sides have not been privy to.

From those included, there were four players not seen in the pictures. Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling were the most recent injuries that Arsenal have faced and naturally were not seen.

Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both long-term absentees and were also absent for training. It will be good news that it seems there are no new worries before the New Year.

Youngster involved

Mikel Arteta had faced scrutiny for not using enough of his young stars throughout his time at the club. That has, however, been addressed, with both Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly getting plenty of exposure – both of whom were involved in training.

Added to them were Josh Gower and Maldini Kacurri. The latter of whom made his first senior appearance in the League Cup earlier in the season.

Tommy Setford joined Neto as the available goalkeeper. Neto was spotted on the edge of a team talk from the manager but it was Setford pictured in the action with hope he could take on a second-choice role in the future.

Arsenal take on Brentford looking to return to second place in the Premier League and close the gap to Liverpool to six points, having played a game more. Every game feels like a must-win with any slip-up sparking questions of whether the title race is even still on.

Mikel Arteta still must contend with the absence of Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling is not quite yet ready, having not been spotted in training. With Chelsea losing there is a chance to take advantage and create more of a buffer with those outside of the race.

Tom Canton

It was quite the sight to see the bench against Ipswich, with zero senior forward players among the substitutes. Against Brentford, even still without both Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling, that for me must change.

Bringing Mikel Merino into the midfield, pushing Kai Havertz into the forward line and moving Gabriel Jesus to the wide right. It means that Leandro Trossard can come off the bench should he need to with Ethan Nwaneri also available to offer more threat should it be needed.

Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard complete the midfield, while the only change to the back four is at left-back. Riccardo Calafiori comes in to start with Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Jurrien Timber naturally start ahead of David Raya.

Canton’s Arsenal XI vs Brentford: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Rice, Merino, Odegaard, Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli

Mikel Arteta addressed the media ahead of Arsenal’s game against Brentford with a focus, particularly on team news and the preparation for the game. The Gunners need to win each game they have to keep pace with league leaders Liverpool.

Arteta, who will be without Bukayo Saka for the foreseeable future, did provide something of a positive update on one of the winger’s potential replacements who has also been out. Raheem Sterling was also absent from the team that faced Ipswich after he was confirmed to have suffered a knee problem but the Gunners’ boss was upbeat on his chances of a quick return.

This will come as a positive sign considering the absence of any senior forward player on the Arsenal bench last week. Ethan Nwaneri was the only offensive option Arteta had to choose from and did not even come on as the Spaniard made just two changes in the game that saw his side narrowly claim the three points.