"Wonderful traveller with the ball at his feet" - Ex-Arsenal midfielder Adrian Clarke names Premier League star as 'perfect' Bukayo Saka replacement

Former Arsenal player Adrian Clarke has named the player who could be the perfect replacement for the injured Bukayo Saka. Clarke suggested West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus as someone who could fill the Englishman's void in Mikel Arteta’s squad in the coming months.

Saka was forced off the pitch in the first half of the Gunners’ 5-1 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on December 21. He missed his side’s league clash with Ipswich Town on Friday night.

Mikel Arteta revealed after the match against Ipswich that the English winger went under the knife and could be out for more than two months. The player also posted a picture of himself in a hospital bed on social media after the surgery and promised to come back stronger after the setback.

Saka’s recent injury will come as a huge blow for the Gunners, as the player has proved to be a linchpin for the north London club in their recent battles for the Premier League title. He has scored nine goals and provided 13 assists in 24 appearances for the Gunners this term. Arteta will likely be facing a dilemma on how best to overcome the setback.

While the Spaniard manager could be ruminating on how to navigate this unwanted situation, Adrian Clarke has urged his former side to consider making a move for Mohammed Kudus. He claimed that Ghanaian is the 'perfect replacement' for Bukayo Saka.

Clarke told talkSPORT:

"Mohammed Kudus is a player that Arsenal have had a long-term interest in. He is a perfect Bukayo Saka replacement who can also do a job up front. Wonderful traveller with the ball at his feet. Could Arsenal test West Ham United's resolve with a with an offer this month?"

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"They are not really giving opponents a sniff" - Adrian Clarke on Arsenal’s title chase this season

Adrian Clarke also spoke about his former side's title chase this season. The Gunners have once again found themselves in the Premier League title race for the third consecutive season. Mikel Arteta’s men ended as runner-up in the last two EPL seasons.

Clarke believes that there are loads of positives for the Gunners to take despite narrowly missing out on the Premier League title in the last two seasons. He also added that they need to improve on their ability to break down the defense of defensive teams.

"The nature of it, the last two seasons where Arsenal have led the way and then been caught, to finish second, it's pretty heart-breaking, even though there are loads of positives. This time around, it feels very different because Arsenal are the chasers and that might suit us in the second half of the season. It's a different sort of pressure having to win, but also knowing that Liverpool have got the pressure of sort of looking over their shoulders. It's exciting."

He added:

"That aspect of Arsenal's game is, is pretty phenomenal at the moment. They're not really giving opponents a sniff. It's going forward. Do they have enough goals in them against teams that are really defensive? It's what Ipswich did last night that's proving a little bit problematic, and Arsenal will have to get better at it."