Hargreaves sends Arsenal warning in Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard claim
Manchester United hero Owen Hargreaves has declared his ‘love’ to Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard. But he also sent Boss Mikel Arteta a warning.
Hargreaves loves watching the Gunners trio’s attacking teams as “they’re just so much fun to watch”. But he reckons Arteta needs to add to his team in the January transfer window as the Spaniard lacks depth. Should Arsenal suffer further injuries, they don’t have a replacement.
Arteta is already starting the Premier League season without his star striker Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian underwent knee surgery after suffering a medial ligament damage at December’s World Cup. He is unlikely to return before February and may be out longer.
Arsenal backed Arteta to sign Jesus from Manchester City for £45m last summer to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. The 25-year-old made a huge impact on the Gunners after transforming Arteta’s attack in collaboration with Saka and Martinelli.
Arteta will now have to rely on Eddie Nketiah to score the goals to keep Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. Only Martinelli (seven goals in 17 games), Odegaard (seven in 16) and Saka (six in 17) have scored more in La Liga than Jesus (five in 14) at Arsenal.
Hargreaves warns Arsenal amid praise for Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard
Saka and Martinelli have also featured in all of Arsenal’s 17 Premier League games so far this season. Goalkeepers Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Granit Xhaka also featured in all of the Gunners’ top 17 games in 2022-23.
Odegaard has missed just one of Arsenal’s Premier League games this season. The Gunners skipper had to sit out in Brentford in September with a calf injury. He suffered a stroke in training before Arteta’s team secured a 3-0 win. Fabio Vieira started in his place that day.
But given Arteta’s reliance on eight Arsenal players, including Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard, Hargreaves fears for their Premier League title chances should a player get injured. So the Manchester United hero has masked his praise with greater fear.
Hargreaves told talkSPORT: “I hope they get a body to help them win it because the fanbase has had to suffer for a long time and I think it would be great for the Premier League if they did win it. [But] I don’t think they have enough depth when someone gets hurt.
“I love Saka, Martinelli and Odegaard. It’s just fun to watch the boys. I think it would be a great story but I don’t think they have the depth. You look at Manchester City and Liverpool and what they have on the bench, that’s amazing.”
In other news, Paul Robinson claims Leeds United have a “special talent” within their ranks
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2023/01/14/hargreaves-sends-arsenal-warning-in-saka-martinelli-odegaard-claim/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hargreaves-sends-arsenal-warning-in-saka-martinelli-odegaard-claim Hargreaves sends Arsenal warning in Saka, Martinelli, Odegaard claim
