This should have been the defining season of Bukayo Saka's Arsenal career, with the Gunners motoring toward the Premier League title, having still been competing on four fronts prior to last weekend's trip to Wembley.
For all the collective brilliance under Mikel Arteta this term, there's no denying Saka's star has dimmed, left looking like a shadow of the player who has sparkled for club and country over recent years.
The breakthrough figure in England's surge to the Euro 2020 final five years ago, having also been arguably the Three Lions' best player at Euro 2024, the 24-year-old's starting role is no longer guaranteed heading into this summer's World Cup, such has been his decline of late.
Bukayo Saka and John Stones celebrate for England
From the highs of 2023/24, which saw the Englishman rack up 28 goal involvements in the Premier League, the Hale End sensation is at a real career crossroads. Where does he go from here?
Why Arteta needs to take Saka out of the firing line
The Gunners have been second-best in each of the last three seasons, although it was that 2023/24 campaign where they truly looked like deserving champions right until the end, with Saka having been central to that.
His 16 goals helped propel the north London side to within an inch of ending their long wait for a league crown, cementing his status as Arsenal's 'Starboy' in attack.
Much like teammate Martin Odegaard, however - who was arguably the best player in the league in 2024, in the view of Luke Shaw - Saka's form has tailed off over the last 18 months or so, no longer such a weapon from his right-wing berth.
Like Odegaard, injury has no doubt been a factor in that dip, albeit with Saka having missed just a handful of games in 2025/26, after an undoubtedly disrupted 2024/25 campaign.
So often the skipper in the Norwegian's absence, the academy graduate isn't exactly leading from the front, with his return of six goals and five assists in the top-flight making for poor reading for a player of his quality.
Bukayo Saka goals and assists per season (timeless)
There is a sense that Arteta's men will march toward the title almost in spite of Saka, Viktor Gyokeres and co, with the real driving force having been the defensive spine of David Raya, William Saliba, Gabriel and Declan Rice.
Such attacking woes can't be allowed to fester in the long term, however, with Arteta needing to consider making a change on that right flank moving forward.
"Pires-like" Arsenal star could now replace Saka
Both for club and country, the obvious understudy to Saka is ex-Chelsea man Noni Madueke, albeit with the left-footer enduring his own inconsistencies, having scored just two league goals all season.
Arsenal - Big chances missed 25/26*
Player
Saka
Gyokeres
Timber
Trossard
Martinelli
Merino
Rice
Gabriel
Jesus
*in the Premier League only
With the Gunners having also shipped Ethan Nwaneri out on loan, and with patience still needed with regard to 16-year-old superstar, Max Dowman, Arteta might have to get creative if he is to find a solution on that flank.
One wildcard option could be to unleash Gabriel Martinelli in something of a fresh role off the right, even with the Brazilian having traditionally been something of an impact player on the opposite side.
Bukayo-Saka-Arsenal (2) Related
Arteta can fix Eze injury blow by unleashing Arsenal's new Bukayo Saka
Eberechi Eze is set for a spell on the sidelines at Arsenal with an injury.
The 24-year-old has only scored one league goal himself this season, although he has proven far more prolific on the Champions League stage, scoring six goals in just nine games in the competition thus far.
That has come despite only starting five games in Europe, with his first two efforts against Athletic Club and Olympiakos notably coming after he had been deployed on the right, suggesting such a switch wouldn't be as unorthodox as it might appear.
According to Transfermarkt, the 20-cap Brazil speedster has only made 21 appearances as a right-winger, yet has racked up ten goal involvements in that time,
He notably enjoyed a brief run on that flank in January last year, prior to a stint on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury.
Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli celebrates scoring their second goal with Christian Norgaard and Bukayo Saka
With his speed and direct running power, it's fair to say that Martinelli is a threat wherever he's deployed in the forward line, with Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville previously describing him as "[Robert] Pires-like" in the recent past.
"It’s absolutely outstanding from Martinelli. He’s got a bit of the Pires about him. That run was Pires-like."
The iconic Frenchman was a left-winger by trade himself, although did regularly drift over to the opposite side when needed, allowing Thierry Henry to vacate the space in the left channel.
Viiera Pires Henry Cole Arsenal 2004
There is an argument that, with Viktor Gyokeres doing the same, Leandro Trossard is better suited to move in centrally off the left, with Martinelli then operating as a more orthodox winger off the right.
Having a natural right-footer on that flank may also ensure a greater supply of service to Gyokeres in the centre, amid the tendency for Saka and Madueke to cut inside at present.
There might well be others ahead of Martinelli in that right-sided pecking order, although it is certainly an option that Arteta must consider.
bukayo-saka-arsenal Related
He's better than Saka: Arsenal exploring move to sign £78m-rated superstar
Bukayo Saka's struggles are becoming more and more concerning for Arsenal, who have now set their sights on an instant upgrade.