Arteta told he has “brave decision” to make after Arsenal star “changed the game” vs Leverkusen

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been told that he may have a “brave decision” to make on Bukayo Saka after Noni Madueke played a lot better than him against Bayer Leverkusen.

The Gunners were far from at their best in last night’s 1-1 draw in the Champions League, with Saka in particular struggling to provide the spark he normally does.

Madueke was subbed on to replace his fellow England winger, and it quickly became apparent that he was offering more of a threat.

The former Chelsea man then ended up winning the penalty for Arsenal late on, with Kai Havertz stepping up to equalise from the spot.

Should Mikel Arteta start Noni Madueke over Bukayo Saka?

Discussing how this all unfolded, former Premier League striker Charlie Austin said on Sky Sports News that Arteta may now have a brave decision to make.

Austin felt that Saka didn’t really perform, despite being the club’s star player, while Madueke changed the game when he came on.

“It’s a tough one,” he said. “I think when he’s come on, the performances he’s put in have warranted starting.

"What more can Madueke do" ?

Charlie Austin looks at whether Noni Madueke should be starting over Bukayo Saka for Arsenal and believes Mikel Arteta will be satisfied with the 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen ? pic.twitter.com/YxcpU5tB9E

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 12, 2026

“The issue that he has, unfortunately, is that Arsenal’s star boy plays in the same position as him, so it’s going to take the manager to make a brave decision to make that change.”

He added: “If I’m Noni Madueke, I’m asking the question: ‘What more can I do?’ because when he came on last night he changed the game…

“He got the ball, he ran at defenders, made things happen. In the 58, 59 minutes that Saka was on the pitch, he didn’t.”

Bukayo Saka vs Noni Madueke stats

Here’s a look at how Saka and Madueke’s stats compare so far this season…

Clearly, Saka still offers a lot, even if he isn’t passing the so-called ‘eye test’ at the moment in the same way as he has in the past.

At the same time, it’s also worth remembering that Saka has had a lot more minutes than Madueke, so perhaps the latter is showing signs that he could do a better job overall if he had more time on the pitch and more opportunities to develop better chemistry with his teammates.

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