Martin Keown urges Mikel Arteta to start Bukayo Saka over Nuno Tavares or Granit Xhaka at left-back when Arsenal host Brighton with Kieran Tierney injured, he said on talkSPORT.
The Gunners host the Seagulls at the Emirates Stadium in one of three Saturday 15:00 kick-offs in the Premier League. A win over the Amex Stadium natives will lift the north London outfit back into fourth-place on level games with Tottenham, before they visit Aston Villa.
Arsenal held the Champions League qualifying spot but lost to Crystal Palace on Monday, while Spurs thrashed Newcastle on Sunday. Tavares started the Eagles affair with Tierney likely out for the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury that needs surgery.
Tavares had only featured in the top-flight once between December 18 and the Selhurst Park clash, playing in stoppage-time at Wolves on February 24 over 10 potential fixtures. He also played the first 35 minutes of their 1-0 FA Cup loss away to Nottingham Forest.
And like the City Ground affair, Tavares was an early withdrawal against Crystal Palace as he exited at half-time. Arteta brought Gabriel Martinelli on from the bench trailing 2-0 and moved Xhaka to a left-sided centre-back role beside Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White.
Keown urges Arteta start Saka at LB over Tavares, Xhaka in ‘radical’ Arsenal XI
Saka featured as the de facto left-wing-back in Arsenal’s widest left-sided role at Crystal Palace. Keown now wants the £30k-a-week star – who The Sun report the Gunners are in talks with over a new £125k-a/w deal – to start at full-back on Saturday at the Emirates.
Keown believes Saka represents his former side Arsenal’s best option with Tierney injured as Brighton can expose Xhaka or Tavares. He also doubts Arteta backing Tavares, while the Spaniard has stated the half-time switch ‘hurt’ the £7m summer signing from Benfica.
“We’ve got to find Arsenal a solution to the left-back problem,” Keown said. “I’d like to see Saka go to left-back. I know that’s radical. But I’d rather see that than Xhaka there, who is going to get exposed. If you’re creating such a weakness in the team, you’ve got to fill it.
“I think Saka could go to left-back and still do damage from the left. [Put Nicolas] Pepe back onto the right-hand side, Martinelli on the left. It’s about the best eleven.”
Keown added: “We’re not going to play Tavares, but I don’t think Xhaka is the answer. He certainly isn’t, they’d be setting teams up to exploit that weakness. It won’t be long before Xhaka is off the pitch and Arsenal are down to 10 men again. Play Saka there.”
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