Arsenal Football Club have had much more than their fair share of injuries in recent years, with last season pushing the bounds of bad luck to something like a curse. And we are already seeing the same sort of thing again, with Arteta, Sanogo, Gnabry, Gibbs, Miyaichi, Walcott and Ospina in the treatment room.
Hopefully, Arsene Wenger is keeping Abou Diaby under wraps like a secret weapon, but somehow I doubt it. So the news today, reported by The Mirror, that our new club captain, Mikel Arteta, is going to miss at least two weeks, possibly more, after turning his ankle in Istanbul on Tuesday, gives the boss a bit of a headache.
I assume that Mathieu Flamini will come in as a direct replacement for the Spaniard, but the injury does highlight the fact that Arsenal are light in that area, as well as in defence. So Wenger must be thinking harder about signing someone to strengthen the squad in those areas. Not Kim Kallstrom though Wenger, eh?
Just like when Kieran Gibbs got injured just before the end of a transfer window, this injury to Arteta could actually prove to be good news for the Gunners. Then it meant that Wenger signed Nacho Monreal, and for those who are not that keen on the Spanish left back, just remember that we would have had to rely on Andre Santos otherwise. I am not suggesting that Flamini is anywhere near as bad as the Brazilian, but hopefully the Arteta injury will force Wenger’s hand, because he did not seem to be too fussed before it.