Sky Sports pundit Charlie Austin says Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta should make the “brave decision” to drop vice-captain Bukayo Saka in favour of Noni Madueke.
Saka put in a poor display against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night with his replacement Madueke making a key contribution by winning the penalty. Austin feels there is a strong case for dropping Arsenal’s no.7:
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“When [Madueke]’s come on, the performances he’s been putting in warrant starting. But the issue he has is the fact Arsenal’s Starboy plays in the same position as him. It’s going to take the manager to make a brave decision to make that change.”
“If I’m Noni Madueke, I’m asking that question, ‘What more can I do?’ Because when he came on, he changed the game in Arsenal’s favour. He got on the ball, ran at defenders and made things happen. In the time Saka was on the pitch, he didn’t.”
Is Saka in poor form?
The 24-year-old has scored 2 goals in his last 4 league matches, so Austin’s remarks are not backed up by the facts.
Admittedly, Saka hasn’t quite met the standards of past seasons. He has scored 9 times in all competitions this campaign, having previously reached 15 in 2022/23 and 20 in 2023/24.
Even so, his current numbers do not justify dropping him. He remains a key player, having signed a new £300,000 a week, four and a half year deal last month. Buy a Saka Arsenal home shirt from JD Sports here.
Would starting Madueke improve Arsenal?
The summer signing from Chelsea has caught the eye with his dribbling ability, but his end product has been pretty erratic.
Madueke’s is averaging a goal or assist every 144 minutes, while Saka’s is averaging one every 162 minutes.
There isn’t a lot between them, so it is up for debate whether starting Madueke would significantly impact results.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here