If he doesn’t play’: Sky pundit says Arsenal will only beat Man City if ‘tough’ player starts

‘If he doesn’t play’: Sky pundit says Arsenal will only beat Man City if ‘tough’ player starts

Arsenal face Manchester City on Sunday in what could well be a title-deciding clash between the two best teams in the country.

Sadly, both teams may come into this game as depleted forces.

Manchester City will be without both Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri, while Arsenal are sweating over the fitness of Bukayo Saka.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday (7/10/23 1:05PM), Paul Merson has shared how worried he is about Saka’s potential absence, claiming that he doesn’t see Arsenal having a chance of beating Man City if Saka doesn’t play.

Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Saka has to play
Merson spoke about the ‘tough’ winger and how important he is.

“If he doesn’t play tomorrow I don’t see Arsenal having too much of a chance if he doesn’t play. They’re going to be up against it without Martinelli as well, they spread the game those two, and when they spread the game, you have Odegaard and Havertz, it gives them plenty of room. Odegaard needs room to do his magic,” Merson said.

Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images
Risk it
Saka isn’t 100% fit going into this game, that much is obvious, but if ever there was a time to take a risk and do a patch job on a player, this is it.

Saka is too important to Arsenal to miss a fixture this big, and while it may be touch and go for Saka here, Arsenal need to try and get him ready to play.

Mikel Arteta has been very coy over whether or not Saka will be able to play this match, but even if he’s not fully ready, he needs to gamble and play his most important player in a game of this calibre.

Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

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Arsenal urged by Darren Bent to sign 23-year-old ‘too good’ for his current club

Giuseppe Labellarte

Sat 7 October 2023 18:45, UK

Arsenal have been urged by Darren Bent to bring Pedro Neto to the Emirates Stadium next year.

The pundit and Arsenal fan, speaking on talkSPORT, believes the reported Gunners target is “too good”.

Arsenal have been linked with Neto for a while now and speculation is doing the rounds again.

Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Alex Crook, writing on talkSPORT, recently claimed the Gunners are “back on the trail” of the 23-year-old.

Arsenal suffered a scare this week with Bukayo Saka having to come off in the Champions League loss to Lens.

Although it doesn’t seem to be a long-term issue, the incident did raise further concern over the 22-year-old’s workload.

With that in mind, Arsenal are now reportedly looking around for players who can deputise and compete with Saka.

Neto, who plies his trade for Wolverhampton Wanderers, appears to be firmly in the Gunners sights once again.

Bent has given the prospective deal his seal of approval, saying on talkSPORT: “He is too good (for Wolves).

“I am hoping Arsenal get him, that’s what I am hoping because he is fantastic.”

Our view

Neto would be an outstanding signing for Arsenal, as he’s young, talented and has Premier League experience.

The Portuguese ace has got off to a flyer this season, with one goal and four assists in seven Premier League outings.

Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images

Neto has already clocked up 118 appearances for his club, registering 12 goals and 17 assists. He has also won four Portugal caps.

Several years ago, Football Talent Scout compared him to Mohamed Salah. And he very much seems to be on the right track to become a star just like the Liverpool ace.

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