Arsenal just found a new £100m star in the making against Brentford

When it was announced Bukayo Saka tore a hamstring, it caused shock waves Arsenal fan base.

They would miss their man of the moment, their man of the big occasion, their very own Hale End star.

How on earth do you deal with a blow like that? Well, as Gabriel Martinelli said after the game following Arsenal’s 3-1 win against Brentford on Wednesday, “no one can replace him. He is one of the best players in the world.” We couldn’t agree more.

Mikel Arteta tried to replace him with Gabriel Martinelli against Ipswich on 27 December, but he occupied more central areas than Saka and failed to offer the same level of dynamism, playing in straight lines rather than 360 degrees.

Well, against Brentford in the Premier Leaguethe first match of 2025, they found their solution.

How Arsenal beat Brentford

This was not the easiest victory, far from it. The Gunners were level after 13 minutes when lively, in-form star Bryan Mbeumo caught both Riccardo Calafiori and David Raya to open the scoring.

Calafiori let the Bees star slot in too easily and then, anticipating an effort into his far corner, Raya mistimed his near post.

Arsenal have now gone eight consecutive league away games without scoring and could easily have buckled under the pressure of a raucous home crowd in favor of Brentford.

Well, this isn’t the Arsenal of old. There is a steely resilience in them, and that has never been more evident Gabriel Jesus‘ revival in recent weeks.

Earning a starting place in the Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace before Christmas, the Brazilian scored a hat-trick. Scorer of two goals against Palace in their next league game a few days later, the former Manchester City striker has not been out of the starting XI since.

He may not have scored against Ipswich last time out, but he played a vital role in Arsenal’s comeback win in west London on Wednesday.

Jesus’ close-range header equalized for Arsenal, his shot deflected off Nathan Collins and into the path of Mikel Merino to make it 2-1 after the break.

However, the forward didn’t have much of an impact in the third, but his Brazilian counterpart Martinelli did, picking up the ball before volleying home.

Unlike against the Tractor Boys a few days before, Martinelli did not start on the right on this occasion, but stood out while playing on the left.

He alternated with Jesus incredibly well as the two Brazilian stars alternated between a central role on the side and a wider role. It seemed to work a treat.

However, neither of them seem like the most ideal replacements for Saka. Instead, they found a certain Ethan Nwaneri. The 17-year-old boy wonders who looks capable of replacing his co-star Hale Ender in the coming months.

Ethan Nwaneri’s performance in numbers

After making his first-team debut by chance against Brentford in 2022 aged just 15, Nwaneri has since had to be patient to get regular senior opportunities.

However, the 2024/25 season it’s been a breakout campaign for the lively teenager so far, scoring his first goals for the club in the Carabao Cup before opening his Premier League account by netting against Nottingham Forest at the end of November.

Since then, he has watched 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly become a regular starter in Arsenal’s side, all the while waiting for his start in the top flight. Well, it finally came against the Bees this week and boy did he take his chance.

Playing 78 minutes on Saka’s favored right wing, the teenager didn’t look out of place. In fact, he looked like the most hands-off player on the entire team.

Many wondered how the club would cope with the absence of the England international, but in Nwaneri they found a dream solution.

It’s important not to put too much pressure on him, but this was an excellent performance that just lacked a goal-scoring contribution. As The Telegraph’s Sam Dean remarked after the gameArsenal’s game “flowed a lot better” with Nwaneri on the right than with Martinelli.

As the numbers show, he was a constant threat and showed the kind of driving and ball manipulation that you won’t get from many other players. It goes without saying that he is also left-handed.

The star of Arsenal’s academy has been receiving rave reviews for a long time four goals to his name already in just 17 outings this term, he has the world at his feet.

Could this be the next Saka in waiting? It’s very possible, but it will have to go some way to replicate the player’s exploits who is valued by Transfermarkt at a whopping £124m.

Still, he’s already played more minutes than Saka did at the same age, so what’s to say he won’t be the next mega-earning Hale Ender? These are exciting times, let’s put it that way.