Bukayo Saka injury: Arsenal, Mikel Arteta decision on replacement as January transfer window approaches

Porto brag Vitor Bruno has said that Fabio Vieira was not excluded from his squad connected Saturday owed to an imminent callback by his genitor nine Arsenal.

Vieira has struggled to interruption done into the Gunners' archetypal XI since signing for Mikel Arteta's broadside successful the summertime of 2022 from Porto.

However, the attacking midfielder has made conscionable 5 starts successful the Premier League and has already played much minutes this play successful the Primeira Liga with Porto than helium did successful the 2022-23 league season.

With quality that Bukayo Saka is set to beryllium retired for much than 2 months aft undergoing country pursuing a hamstring injury, reports emerged that Vieira was near retired of Porto's squad for their clash against Boavista owed to a imaginable callback by Arsenal.

According to A Bola, his lack was related to a disciplinary issue, and Vitor Bruno has since clarified his decision, telling reporters: "I person to marque decisions, wage adjacent attraction to the players' show and however they presumption their day-to-day activities. Fabio is precise talented, but endowment has to beryllium based connected a bid of assumptions.

"I don't request to walk connected immoderate message. Fabio knows maine good and we are counting connected him. He volition beryllium disposable to play again adjacent week. So it is simply a question of making decisions."

Vieira has started 7 of Porto's 16 league games this campaign, and it would look that Arteta would alternatively look elsewhere for Saka's replacement than instrumentality him backmost from Portugal.

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Bukayo Saka replacement options

Arsenal overcame Ipswich Town 1-0 astatine the Emirates connected Friday successful the Premier League, and portion their defence was seldom threatened, the Gunners struggled to make overmuch from unfastened play.

One of the options mooted arsenic a imaginable stop-gap until Saka's instrumentality from wounded has been Randal Kolo Muani, who has reportedly been made available by Paris Saint-Germain this winter.

The guardant would not beryllium a like-for-like replacement for the winger fixed helium mostly prefers to run arsenic a striker, but helium has shown an quality to find the backmost of the nett successful the past considering the 26-year-old has averaged much goals and assists per 90 successful Ligue 1 than Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus this campaign.

Perhaps Arsenal could payment from a alteration to a much direct, attacking benignant with the purpose of maximising the qualities already wrong their squad.

The likes of Martinelli excel erstwhile fixed the accidental to marque threatening runs down absorption antiaircraft lines, and with Martin Odegaard stationed successful midfield, the Gunners surely person the tools to airs a menace during transitions.

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