It wouldn't be Arsenal without everything going wrong when everything is going right would it. After a perfect start Mikel Arteta has suffered his first major setback in the hands of two injuries to defensive midfielders Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey. Thomas continued his injury prone record at Arsenal with the Ghanaian missing Arsenal's match against Fulham due to a minor injury, his deputy in Mohamed Elneny filled in as his replacement and put in a solid performance once again in his place however as of this morning it has come to light the Egyptian picked up a major hamstring injury during the game and is set to spend a lengthy time on the side-line for the foreseeable future and all though Partey's injury isn't major he is set to out for a couple of weeks and will definitely miss the next two games which take place this week including that massive away game to Manchester United.
So let's have a look at what potential midfield options Mikel Arteta can choose for tomorrow's match against Aston Villa and will Arsenal be forced to dip into the transfer market for a new midfielder.
Albert Sambi Lokonga
Well one thing for certain is Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard will start, unless there's another injury both will play. His partner is the real question at the moment and there's only really three options, one of them being Sambi. While Sambi was brought in as a clear understudy to Thomas Partey we all saw last season it's fairly clear he's still not ready to play that roll just yet. Games against Brighton and Southampton showed it and at this point in his career he just doesn't have the physique yet to play that lone 6 role. However we saw in pre-season how good he was in that number 8 role and playing in a more advanced position where's he clearly more comfortable playing in at this stage in his career. An option for Mikel tomorrow could be to move Granit to that DM role and have the young Belgian take his place in midfield. It would be a bit of risk as not only is Granit worse playing as that lone 6 your taking out his attacking importance in the side which has been so good these last couple of weeks.
Zinchenko in midfield and Tierney stay at left back
One of the reasons Arsenal fans were so excited when Zinchenko signed was not just his ability as a left back but his ability to play in midfield as well and tomorrow might be the first time we'll see in him showcasing his versatilely. The Ukrainian has constantly moved into midfield throughout the games he's played so far and plays there for Ukraine however he plays as bit more of a box to box midfielder not a lone 6 so once again it might mean Granit Xhaka to play as DM or a switch in formation. However while I likely see this as the most likely option Mikel will pick, Zinny missed Saturday's game along with Partey so might still be short of fitness. He may miss tomorrow's game but I can definitely see him playing against United on Sunday.
Ben White as the DM
Now this really is the choice and shows how light we are really. Ben White has enjoyed a superb start to the season playing in his secondary position, with the English defender being pushed out to right back to allow William Saliba to occupy the right centre back position however Ben has owned the position and has kept Takehiro Tomiyasu out of the side. However Ben might be asked to play his third position on Wednesday night and maybe Sunday if Arsenal midfield situation doesn't improve. He's played there for Brighton before and while it was talked about for a little while especially around that covid North London derby time last year he's never played there for Arsenal before. There is no question about his passing ability to play in that role and if he did start Granit Xhaka would be allowed to play his usual role but I still this as being a bit unlikely. Of course there's the option of putting Xhaka deeper and playing new signing Fabio Vieira however I feel it's unlikely purely down to the fact he's had no pre-season etc.
Do Arsenal have to dip into the transfer market?
I think if all Arsenal fans we're in charge we'd all say yes and with the length of time of Elneny and Partey out for I think it might force Edu and Arteta hands to pick up someone in the last two days. It was fairly clear the club's priority has been to sign a new right winger to give Saka some much needed cover and competition with Pedro Neto and Murdyk both being heavily linked however with this injury news it looks fairly certain Arsenal will have to change their direction and look for a new centre midfielder instead.
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| Pedro Neto has been heavily linked with a move to North London |
The real question is who, Leicester City's Youri Tielemans has been so heavily linked since June Leicester reported valuation of £30m to £40m might price the Belgian out of his dream move, according to the reports Tielemans only wants Arsenal and no one else. Wolves Rubin Neves and PSG's Paredes have also been linked but the latter wanting to honour his agreement with Juventus and Neves now extremely likely to stay at Wolves.
I think what all Arsenal fans will be hoping for is no panic buys, we all remember Denis Suarez in 2019 and what a disaster that turned out to be, Edu and Mikel need to work their magic fast if they are to bring in a new player otherwise Arsenal will be walking a midfield tight rope where one more injury or suspension could mean crisis point for Arsenal.
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