Mikel Arteta has shared some “great news” for Arsenal before their all-important North London Derby trip to Tottenham on Sunday, with an injury update coming out of London Colney.
Arteta dealt absences for key Arsenal players ahead of Tottenham
After signing a brand-new three-year contract which keeps him at the Emirates Stadium until 2027, Arteta’s next item on the Arsenal agenda is to come away from Spurs with all three points, not to mention all the bragging rights on derby day.
Arteta’s new contract at Arsenal will see him pocket around £288,000-per-week, putting him in line with the Premier League‘s highest-earning managers like Man City boss Pep Guardiola, but the Spaniard has little time to celebrate his fresh terms.
Ange Postecoglou’s Lilywhites await Arteta’s men tomorrow, as the north Londoners prepare to face-off in a mouth-watering clash right after the international break. Arsenal have been dealt a few selection headaches before the game, with summer signing Mikel Merino sidelined after his shoulder injury.
Arsenal’s next five Premier League games | Date |
|---|---|
Tottenham (away) | September 15 |
Man City (away) | September 22 |
Leicester City (home) | September 28 |
Southampton (home) | October 5 |
Bournemouth (away) | October 19 |
The Euro 2024-winning midfielder could be absent until after the October international break, as reports last week claimed Merino is facing nearly two months out. Meanwhile, another star man in Declan Rice is set to miss Arsenal through suspension, after the England star controversially picked up two bookable offences in their 1-1 draw with Brighton two weeks ago.
Versatile defensive ace Takehiro Tomiyasu is also expected to be unavailable for Spurs, as the Japan international still hasn’t fully recovered from a knee injury sustained in pre-season.
However, Arteta did suggest in his pre-match press conference that Riccardo Calafiori could be fit to play Tottenham following an injury scare. The centre-back collided with Ousmane Dembele during Italy’s 3-1 win over France last week, and was subsequently forced off with a calf injury, which resulted in him leaving Luciano Spalletti’s camp early and returning to Arsenal for medical assessment.
In what is another real boost for Arteta, following a week of reports suggesting Martin Odegaard could be out for beyond four weeks after he twisted his ankle on international duty, the Norway midfielder could actually play a part at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Arteta confirmed on Friday afternoon that Odegaard is contending to be fit for Spurs, and the 42-year-old has shared even more “great news” ahead of the game, which involves striker Gabriel Jesus.
Arteta confirms Gabriel Jesus could play against Tottenham
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta shared news that Jesus will potentially be selected to play Tottenham, as the £265,000-per-week star is seemingly nearly fully recovered from a groin problem.
“Gabi was out there,” said Arteta on Jesus’ availability for tomorrow. “He’s got another session tomorrow and if everything goes well he’ll be ready to be selected in the squad which is great news for us.”
While Raheem Sterling is contending to play as a false-nine, having Jesus as a centre-forward alternative comes as an undoubted boost for Arsenal. The Brazilian is capable of producing match-winning moments, and has done so for Arteta before, with pundit Alan Shearer once calling Jesus a “game-changer”.
“It’s not just his goals and creativity that make him so important to them, it’s his relentless energy and willingness to run in behind defences too,” Shearer said in a column for BBC Sport in 2022.
“He’s the game-changer for Arsenal. He’s the one who sets the tone from the front. Defenders hate players who are prepared to run in behind, he does that. He’s the one who starts the press. You see his movement and his ability too.”
