Arsenal’s injury woes have intensified, with Ben White now set to miss time following a recent minor knee surgery, according to Sky Sports. This is particularly disappointing for the Gunners, as White had only just rejoined the squad after recovering from a previous injury. His consistent performance and reliability in defence have made him an essential figure in Mikel Arteta’s backline, making his absence challenging to address. In recent weeks, Arteta has relied on Thomas Partey to cover the right-back role, but White’s return was expected to bolster Arsenal’s defensive options ahead of a busy schedule.
The club has not disclosed a specific timeline for White’s recovery, leaving uncertainty about when he will be back in action. Given the demanding schedule Arsenal faces, losing such a dependable player in defence will require Arteta to make tactical adjustments, possibly rotating players and experimenting with the lineup. White’s versatility, experience, and ability to transition quickly from defence to attack make him a unique asset that’s hard to replace. However, Arsenal has depth in defence, and players like Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior may step in to support the backline during his absence.
While Arsenal has experienced significant success in recent seasons, this year has been particularly challenging due to recurrent injuries to key players. Alongside White, players like Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey, and Martin Odegaard have all missed time due to various injuries, testing Arsenal’s resilience and depth. Arteta’s squad is already stretched thin, so managing White’s absence will be critical to maintaining their form, especially with crucial fixtures ahead.
If White’s procedure ultimately alleviates the knee issues he has reportedly dealt with for some time, the decision to undergo surgery was likely wise. While short-term absences create immediate challenges, restoring White’s fitness could benefit Arsenal in the long term, helping him perform consistently at his best.
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The estimated time out by ‘people in the know’ is 8 weeks, with 2 weeks either way, so I’d suggest it rules him out until next year. Hope he makes a quick recovery.
Kiwior can play LB while Timber moves to the right. Not sure when Calafiori will return or Tomiyasu either for that matter.
We can get through White’s absence, but can’t afford to lose another defender to injury.
Also not sure if Arteta is willing to increase minutes for MLS, but that is another option, albeit a further fetched one. I’m not keen about Zinchenko filling in at LB, especially since our defense has been a bit wobbly this year.
Lastly, what are the chances Arteta would opt for Partey at RB and a midfield trio of Odegaard, Rice, and Merino.
We have depth to cover, it will come down to Arteta’s selections and setup.
I can just imagine if Arteta had gotten rid of Kiwior and also never bought Calafiori. With the defensive injuries we have and keep experiencing this season so far I wonder how we would have fared.
Imagine if we had bought a striker, I wonder where we would be now.
Potentially lower than we are now because for the games without odegard we created literally nothing and Havertz worked like a dog in all.
It’s another blow but Calafiori will be back after the international break. We will probably have Timber at RB and Calafiori at LB.
It puts an interesting (potential) spin on another story reported on JA that Kiwior could be leaving.
Tomy, Tierney and Zinc all go before Kiwior is sold in my book – and Kiwior can play multiple positions