After Saka’s return, weekly flops 162K

Arsenal returned to Premier League action last night.

Mikel Arteta’s side was by no means perfect, but aside from the tensions of the final few minutes, they were comfortable better teams against Fulham and a team worthy of all three points.

Additionally, the game marked the long-awaited return of Bukayosaka, who hadn’t played a minute of football since his hamstring injury against Crystal Palace in December.

Naturally, Haleender, who received a enthusiastic reception, was as effective as ever, scoring his second goal for North London just seven minutes after coming.

However, his return is great news for the whole team, but perhaps means that certain players won’t start another game this season.

Arsenal’s frontline options

So, you won’t be surprised to see him start a match against Everton over the weekend, as the sensational Saka already looks like his old self.

After all, the involvement of 24 goals in 25 games has made him the most productive player on the team this season, and in a tie against Real Madrid next week, Arteta wants him as sharp as possible.

So, who is likely to start in the middle for most of the rest of the campaign? Well, there are a few options like Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Torosador, and even Ethan Nuwanelli, but after last night it seems it’s almost set to stone that will become Mikel Merino.

The original real Sociedad star may be a central midfielder in trade, but since moving to the top with Leicester City almost two months ago, he has been surprisingly effective. He scored five goals and provided one assist in eight appearances as a centre forward. This corresponds to goal involvement every 1.33 games.

Now, no one is under the illusion that he is the answer in the long run, but the 28-year-old stepped up when his team needed him.

Based on last night’s game, the player to the left of the Spaniards in the next few games must be Martinelli.

The Brazilian wasn’t particularly impressive this season, but against Fulham he looked like the player who swept the league in the 22/23 campaign, and was a constant threat throughout the 90 minutes.

He made a Timothy Castagne beat from the first offense, and although he hadn’t scored a goal, he provided Saka’s assist through a completely ridiculous back heel.

It will likely be Arteta’s starting offensive in the next few games, but you won’t be surprised that Torosad and Nuwaneri are deeply involved until the end of the season.

Arsenal stars who will never start again

With almost every fit attacking player in Arsenal already mentioned above, it’s no surprise that the player in question is nothing more than Raheem Sterling.

The Chelsea lender joined the club at the summer deadline, and he told fans he “sees the best” he’s, but they saw anything.

The British scored one goal and provided four assists in 23 appearances to the North Londoners.

Worse, in his 12 Premier League appearances, the 30-year-old winger has provided one assist, not creating one big chance.

Plus, since he became obsessed with Leicester almost two months ago, the Kingston-born ace has played just 22 minutes of league football in the four games he is entitled to play.

Now, if he had won the Pitense, this probably isn’t that kind of problem, but the gunner is paying him about £162,000 to provide him with something he doesn’t do anything when he gets out of it.

It certainly gives credibility to Connor Hummm’s claim that his loan move is a “absolute waste of time and money.”

Ultimately, it would be difficult to describe Sterling’s loan to Arsenal as anything other than a failure. Plus, Saka returns to the side and Merino and Martinelli look cool, but we can’t see the world where he starts another game this season.