Bukayo Saka made his long-awaited return from injury during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Newcastle United.
The England international is arguably Mikel Arteta’s most important player, and he has carried the Gunners on his back for several years.
However, injuries have really troubled Saka over the last 18 months, and he has been a huge miss for the Premier League leaders in recent weeks.
The good news, though, is that he is back, and Arteta noticed a change within the team and the stadium immediately.
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Mikel Arteta explains the change he noticed after Bukayo Saka came on for Arsenal vs Newcastle
Bukayo Saka’s return is a massive boost for Arsenal.
The academy graduate started the game on the bench, but he came on for the final nine minutes of normal time against Newcastle.
Saka did more in that duration than Noni Madueke did in 81 minutes, thus showing how big an upgrade he is compared to his compatriot.
Fans are absolutely delighted to have their Starboy back, and so is Arteta. The Arsenal manager claimed that he also noticed a change as soon as he brought him on.
He said, as relayed on HaytersTV: “Great, and I think he had a very good impact in the minutes that he played as well.
“He’s back. I think he looked sharp, he looked good, and he looked fresh.
“You certainly noticed something different in the team and in the stadium as well when he came on. We certainly need that!”
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Bukayo Saka could make the difference for Arsenal in the Premier League and Champions League
Arsenal’s attack has lacked cohesion for a few weeks now, and that has been a big concern.
Things changed for the better when Kai Havertz started up top against Manchester City and Newcastle, but the German went off injured.
Arsenal looked clueless going forward from that point, but Saka transformed the attack when he came on for the final minutes.
That shows the kind of impact the England international is capable of, and if he can play at his best level in the coming weeks, we are convinced he will make a difference.
It will be interesting to see if Arteta will start Saka against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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