Arsenal could be forced to start their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool with Charlie Patino and Albert Sambi Lokonga as a part of their midfield.
The Gunners have lost Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny to AFCON, which left a huge void in the squad.
They then sent Ainsley Maitland Niles out on loan to AS Roma for the rest of the season.
That left them with Granit Xhaka as the most senior midfielder at the club, but The Sun says he will miss the game against Liverpool after contracting covid-19 again.
The Swiss midfielder has been infected with the virus before, after it was revealed he hasn’t been vaccinated. He is now battling with it again.
The report claims this means Arsenal would likely field a very inexperienced midfield for the match at Anfield and hope Xhaka would be back for their weekend game against Tottenham.
Just Arsenal Opinion
Sending Maitland-Niles out on loan so early in the transfer window makes little sense with this development.
After losing Partey and Elneny, it was clear that we are light in midfield, and the club still sanctioned the transfer of the Englishman.
Now we have to deal with not having enough midfield options for our upcoming matches.
Hopefully, the likes of Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe will help with both defensive and attacking duties in the game against the Reds.