Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta faces a growing injury crisis as the club prepares to face Leicester City this weekend.
Key players David Raya, Ben White, and Jurrien Timber are doubtful for the matchup, casting uncertainty over the team’s defensive solidity.
Raya, Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper, missed Wednesday’s 5-1 Carabao Cup victory over Bolton due to a muscular injury.
Arteta revealed in his post-match press conference that Raya’s status remains uncertain, potentially ruling him out of Saturday’s Premier League encounter.
Further complicating matters, reports suggest that defenders Ben White and Jurrien Timber are also struggling with fitness issues. The duo’s availability for the Leicester City game is now in question, adding to Arteta’s selection headaches.
Asked if Raya was ‘fine’ to start against Leicester, Arteta said:
‘We don’t know yet. He’s got a muscular injury.’
If Raya is unable to face Leicester, Arteta may decide to hand a debut to No.2 goalkeeper Neto.
Neto, who is playing for Arsenal on loan from AFC Bournemouth, couldn’t play against Bolton because he was cup tied.
That saw Arteta hand a start to 16-year-old goalkeeper Jack Porter – and the Spaniard was full of praise for the teenager in his post-match press conference.
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‘Jack has been training with us since pre-season and we were confident that he could do the role,’ Arteta revealed.
‘Obviously, he plays in the [England youth] national team.
We’ve seen what he can do and we believe it was the right choice.
‘We told him yesterday and he was over the moon straight away.
I think he spoke to his family and they weren’t prepared for that.
It’s a big step, it’s a big occasion for them and I think they were nervous about it.
‘But I think he reacted really well, he was really composed yesterday in training and today as well.
His teammates really helped him as well on that. What an experience
With several key players sidelined, Arteta faces a significant challenge in maintaining Arsenal’s momentum.
The Gunners will need to dig deep into their squad depth to overcome the Foxes and keep their season on track.
– David Raya (muscular injury)
– Ben White (fitness concerns)
– Jurrien Timber (fitness concerns)
– Martin Odegaard (undisclosed injury)
– Oleksandr Zinchenko (injury)
– Takehiro Tomiyasu (injury)
– Mikel Merino (injury)
As the Gunners navigate this injury crisis, Arteta’s tactical acumen and squad management will be put to the test.
