Arsenal analysis: Mikel Arteta can't afford to lose Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Bukayo Saka

After the painful and pitiful end to Unai Emery’s time in charge at Arsenal, it is becoming increasingly difficult not to get swept away with the wave of optimism surrounding Mikel Arteta.

This victory over Everton kept up Arsenal’s unbeaten start to 2020 and they are now on a season’s-best run of three wins and four draws from their last seven Premier League games.

League leaders Liverpool are the only other top-flight side unbeaten in this calendar year and as such it is hard not to jump on the Arteta bandwagon.

Arsenal’s performance against Everton was one that got you on the edge of your seat from an attacking perspective, but had you cowering behind the sofa when it came to their defending.

Defences playing down the road at Hackney Marshes would have been livid by the nature of Everton’s goals, but going forward Arsenal’s efforts were of the highest quality.

At the heart of it was Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with the former providing a brilliant assist for Eddie Nketiah to score and the latter duly adding a brace after.

Aubameyang and Saka have been two of the best performers since Arteta was appointed in December and, while they reaffirmed that against Everton, it also provided a reminder of issues on the horizon for Arsenal.

Both players have under 18 months left to run on their current contracts and performances like the ones they gave against Everton only underline how vital it is that Arsenal keep them.

Aubameyang’s goal tally for the season now stands at 19 after his brace on Sunday and the fact that both Chelsea and Manchester United were scrambling around for a striker in January tells you how valued a striker of that quality is in the current market.

The Gabon international is 30 and in the summer will have only a year left on his contract, but what would he be worth to Arsenal? £60million? More?

In reality, Arsenal need to move heaven and earth to try and keep Aubameyang and the same goes for Saka.

In Saka, the Gunners have an 18-year-old who has played out of position at left-back all season, and yet still has a tally of 10 assists.

Like Aubameyang, it is difficult to assess his value, but you can’t help but think how much Saka would be worth in the future.

Someone like Jadon Sancho, who did not want to sign a new deal at Manchester City, moved to Borussia Dortmund for £10m and now he is being touted around for 10 times that.

Given Saka’s remarkable rise, a similar trajectory for him is not that unreasonable.

The teenager may be 12 years Aubameyang’s junior, but they are in the same boat this summer.

Arsenal can’t afford to lose either of them or else the wave of optimism surrounding Arteta risks having the wind taken out of its sails.

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Aubameyang and Nketiah goals as Arsenal make it three wins in a week