Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared an injury update out of Arsenal, as manager Mikel Arteta deals with a real “problem” at London Colney.
Man City 2-2 Arsenal as Gunners end tough week
It’s been a hectic last week at Arsenal, with three all-important fixtures in back-to-back fashion.
The jam-packed fixture calendar is one of many issues which Arteta must contend with, as he seeks to end Arsenal’s 21-year wait for a Premier League title, but the last nine days have been particularly gruelling.
First, the north Londoners managed to get past arch-rivals Tottenham, sealing a 1-0 win on enemy turf, before goalkeeper David Raya’s heroic double-save ensured Arsenal came away from Atalanta with a point in the Champions League.
|
Arsenal’s next five Premier League games |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Leicester City (home) |
September 28 |
|
Southampton (home) |
October 5 |
|
Bournemouth (away) |
October 19 |
|
Liverpool (home) |
October 27 |
|
Newcastle United (away) |
November 2 |
Lastly, Arsenal travelled to title rivals Man City on Sunday looking to avoid defeat, but it was very nearly a phenomenal result at the Etihad Stadium. Riccardo Calafiori’s screamer, and Gabriel Magalhaes’ second headed goal from a corner in two league games, gifted Arsenal a 2-1 lead after Erling Haaland originally opened the scoring.
Leandro Trossard was sent off, though, with Arteta’s side under the cosh and clinging on before John Stones levelled in the dying seconds of added time. While Arteta will be gutted to not hold on, it was a very promising display of resilience from his side, who were pretty unlucky not to come away with all three points.
They also did well minus a few key players on the day. Mikel Merino is out with a fractured shoulder, while club captain Martin Odegaard sustained ankle ligament damage on international duty with Norway earlier this month.
Fabrizio Romano shares Martin Odegaard update at Arsenal
Speaking to the CaughtOffside’s Dailybriefing podcast, Romano has shared an update on Odegaard’s injury at Arsenal, saying that the £240,000-per-week star won’t be back for weeks yet.
“They are, obviously (concerned),” said Romano.
“He’s a crucial player. He’s the captain. He’s a fantastic player. So, obviously, they know this injury is a problem for them. But at the same time, they hope it’s not super long. So, in this moment, in terms of medical staff, they are doing their best to have Martin back as soon as possible. For sure, we will have to be patient. It’s not something imminent. It will take weeks before we see Odegaard back to action.
“What they always mention to me is that they absolutely want Martin to return when he’s 100% fit. They can’t accept a new injury for Martin Odegaard later in the season, when they’re going to compete, they hope, for all the main titles.
“So Arsenal absolutely want Martin to take his time to return when he’s 100% fit. And this is going to be the mission of the staff, for sure.”
Some reports have claimed Odegaard could be back fit for Liverpool on October 27, but it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will play it more safe, with Arteta saying in his latest press conference on Tuesday:
“Ødegaard back? It will be a matter of weeks. But I still can’t guarantee when, I can’t tell you more than this. Before the October’s international break is unlikely”.
