Arsenal could be without several first team players for the Premier League clash against Bournemouth after the international break.
Mikel Arteta has only been training with a handful of players for the best part of a week but his international stars are expected to return in the coming days. The Gunners have a number of injury worries going into the clash at the Vitality Stadium, with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli picking up knocks while playing for their countries.
Some Arsenal stars did not even join up with their countries, with Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey pulling out of the Germany and Ghana squads respectively. In total, there are question marks surrounding the fitness of nine players ahead of the match against the Cherries. Below, football.london takes a look at what a nightmare Arsenal scenario would look like ahead of the Premier League encounter.
So, we already know Martin Odegaard will miss the clash at Bournemouth due to an ankle injury. The Gunners captain has not played for the Gunners since the 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of August.
It had been reported at the weekend that he had suffered a setback in his recovery, although it’s since been clarified that he is making good progress, although is not expected to return until November or December.
Kieran Tierney is another first team player who will not play a part on Saturday. The defender has been out since picking up an injury at the Euros with Scotland and appears to be surplus to requirements at Emirates Stadium anyway.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has been nursing a calf injury in recent weeks but Arteta hinted he could well return after the international break. “Oleks probably after the international break, if everything goes well, he’s progressing very well,” the Spaniard said before Southampton. In a worst case scenario, though, the game may well come a bit too soon for the Ukrainian.
Ben White and Jurrien Timber are in a similar situation, with both defenders missing from the matchday squad against Southampton. They were not called up by England and Netherlands respectively and remained at London Colney during the break. Their current fitness situations are not clear but it’s possible they remain out for the clash at Bournemouth.
Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Thomas Partey all picked up issues just before the international break or while playing for their countries. Havertz was due to join up with the Germany squad but did not travel after picking up a knee injury while Partey did not join up with the Ghana squad due to “medical issues”.
Saka limped off while playing for England against Greece last Thursday and is being assessed by the Arsenal medical staff after returning to London. Martinelli currently remains with the Brazil squad despite complaining of pain in his right half, although it’s reported he will not feature against Peru in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
In a nightmare scenario for Arsenal, all of Saka, Martinelli, Havertz and Partey would be unavailable for the game at Bournemouth. If so, this would mean Arteta could be without nine first team stars. This means the Gunners would have just 13 fit senior players available for selection for the game vs Bournemouth. As per Premier League rules, a club is allowed to name a squad of 20 players for a Premier League match which means a number of academy stars will need to step up.
Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly will likely be named in the matchday squad once more, while Maldini Kacurri and Joshua Nichols could act as defensive cover. Ismail Oulad M’Hand has trained with the first team this season and does look to be a decent midfielder. To cover the forward areas Arteta may look at Nathan Butler-Oyedeji and Ismeal Kabia, who have scored seven goals between them for Arsenal Under-21s this season.
Possible Arsenal squad in nightmare scenario for Bournemouth: Raya, Neto; Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior, Calafiori, Tomiyasu, Kacurri, Nichols; Rice, Merino, Lewis-Skelly, Jorginho, Nwaneri, Oulad M’Hand; Trossard, Sterling, Jesus, Butler-Oyedeji, Kabia.
Possible Arsenal absentees for Bournemouth: Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli, Kieran Tierney, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey, Ben White, Jurrien Timber.
