The England winger was forced off with a hamstring problem during their 2-1 humbling against Greece last week, and while interim boss Lee Carsley has since confirmed it isn't serious, the brief worry still highlights just how vulnerable Arsenal could become in their Premier League title challenge if the unthinkable happened.
Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, Gabriel Jesus, Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kai Havertz, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney have all suffered injury or fitness problems at various points this season, with well-connected former chief scout Mick Brown sharing that Arsenal are planning to sign alternatives to some of their key men, including Saka.
“I’ve heard the Arsenal hierarchy have held discussions about what happens if certain players get injured, and that includes Saka," said Brown this week.
“They want to get to a point where they have a solid backup for every player in their starting XI. Long-term, they’ll be planning to strengthen in every position. But that applies to Saka certainly, because a winger who’s always looking to take people on is always likely to get a whack and pick up a knock.
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“He may always be available at the moment, but I know the club are planning for what happens if that isn’t the case any longer.“
Arsenal are thought to be interested in Antoine Semenyo of Bournemouth as a Saka stand-in, and despite signing Calafiori in the summer, the north Londoners would be seriously hampered by an injury to one of William Saliba or Gabriel Magalhaes.
The pair faced off for their respective countries, with Hato playing for the Netherlands and Leweling for Germany. The latter ran out 1-0 victors, courtesy of Leweling's 64th minute strike, and Arsenal chiefs had a front row seat as they show an interest in both players.
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Arsenal officials ran the rule over Hato during the clash, alongside Leweling, as Edu plans for the upcoming windows and how best to strengthen Arteta's ranks. We believe Hato is the more interesting of the pair, as reliable media sources have already linked the 18-year-old with a move to N5.
Indeed, as per other reports, Arsenal have held internal talks over signing Hato, who used to play with Jurrien Timber at Ajax. The teenage centre-back is tipped to cost around £86 million, with former Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson branding him a "fantastic" footballer.
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