TalkSPORT pundit Dean Saunders has claimed that Mikel Arteta risks losing a big-name member of his Arsenal squad if one thing doesn’t change.
Arsenal preparing for north London derby without key players
The Gunners are preparing to face-off against Tottenham on Sunday, with Arteta looking to get back to winning ways on the biggest stage after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw at home to Brighton a fortnight ago.
Arsenal travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium unbeaten from their opening three Premier League games, but their 100 per cent record ended at the hands of Brighton at the Emirates, with fierce title rivals Man City yet to drop points.
Arteta will be desperate to come away from N17 with all three points after signing a brand-new three-year contract and committing his future to Arsenal, but it won’t be an easy task for the Spaniard, who has a few tactical conundrums staring him in the face.
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 |
Summer signing Mikel Merino is ruled out through injury, having fractured his shoulder in training at London Colney, while Declan Rice will also be a sore miss after he picked up two yellow cards and was sent off in their last game.
The good news for Arsenal is that club captain Martin Odegaard could actually play against Tottenham, despite initial fears that the Norway international would be out for weeks after twisting his ankle on international duty.
Gabriel Jesus and Riccardo Calafiori are in the same boat, with Arteta stating in his pre-match Arsenal press conference on Friday that both men are contending to be fit for the derby, though it’s also no guarantee they’ll play.
“Gabi was out there,” said Arteta on Jesus’ fitness. “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. He’s [Calafiori] another one where we’ll have to wait another day or so.”
It is still touch-and-go whether Jesus, Calafiori and Odegaard will be able to start, but at least there is still a chance – going by Arteta’s update.
Dean Saunders says Gabriel Jesus could decide to leave Arsenal
If Jesus is ready, Arteta will have a dilemma on his hands. Reports suggest that Raheem Sterling could be played as a false-nine against Tottenham, with Kai Havertz relinquishing his favoured position so he can drop into midfield.
This would mean the £265,000-per-week Brazilian is benched for Spurs, as he has often been in the last 12 months. Ten of Jesus’ 27 league appearances came off the bench last season, and the former Man City star has played just five Premier League minutes so far this term.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, via The Boot Room, pundit Saunders believes that Jesus could decide to leave Arsenal if he doesn’t start getting more game time.
“I keep thinking to myself, how long is Jesus going to put up with not playing? I think he is a really good footballer. He obviously doesn’t score enough goals, otherwise he wouldn’t be looking for a striker, but how long is he going to sit on the bench at Arsenal without saying, listen, enough is enough? How many games is he going to give it?”
The 27-year-old joined from Man City in 2022 for around £45 million, and has gone to rack up 19 goals and 15 assists in 70 appearances across all competitions.
