Will Bukayo Saka remain Arsenal's penalty taker? Mikel Arteta confirms stance after Englishman's costly miss against West Ham
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Bukayo Saka will continue to be the club's penalty taker despite his miss against West Ham last weekend.
Saka spurned a golden opportunity to put the Gunners 3-1 up against West Ham on Sunday (April 16). However, the English winger shot wide, as his side went on to stumble to a 2-2 draw. That allowed Manchester City to close the gap on the leaders to four points and with a game in hand.
Question marks have ensued about whether Saka will continue to be the side's first-choice penalty taker. Arteta, though, has said that the Englishman will remain their spot-kick taker. He alluded to the outpouring of support the forward has received in the aftermath of his miss. The Spaniard said (via Arsenal's website):
"That’s the way he is. He loves the responsibility, but as well, he puts a lot on his shoulders. If he had any doubt about how much people loved or respected him or admired him at the club, he had a very overwhelming reaction from everybody in the building and at the club."
Arteta added that Saka's miss may end up being a positive due to the reaction he has received:
“I think at the end of this, it can be something very positive that can give him a big lift because everyone reacted in an unbelievable way towards him because he deserves it because of the way he is.”
Saka had also missed a penalty in England's UEFA Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy. His miss was decisive as the Azzurri claimed a 3-2 shootout win at the Wembley.
However, Arsenal's No. 7 bounced back from that miss and has cemented himself as one of the Premier League's most admired attackers. He has bagged 13 goals and contributed ten assists in 41 games across competitions this season.
Arsenal's William Saliba still recovering from back injury
Arsenal's title challenge has been affected by William Saliba's absence. The French defender has been a stalwart at the back for the Gunners this season. He has played 33 times, helping his side keep 13 clean sheets and raking in four goal contributions.
However, Saliba picked up a back problem last month. He hasn't featured since his side's elimination from the UEFA Europa League to Sporting CP on March 16. Arteta has touched on the Frenchman's recovery, saying that the Frenchman is still not close to match fitness (via the aforementioned source):
“The picture hasn’t changed from last week. Regarding William, we still have to wait a little bit more."
Arteta added:
“He’s not progressing as quickly as we hoped, and it is a bit delicate, so we want to be certain that when we push him, he’s ready to absorb the load and the risk that we’ll take, and that’s not possible at the moment.”
Gunners fans will hope that Saliba is back for their trip to the Etihad to face Manchester City on April 26. They have drawn their last two games, and his absence has been felt.