Injuries have consistently been a nightmare for Arsenal in recent seasons, and this year appears no exception. The latest is William Saliba joining the injured list, causing a real headache for coach Mikel Arteta.
Last season, Arsenal ranked fourth in the league for the highest number of injuries, totaling 36 cases with a combined absence time of 1,297 days. This forced Arteta to frequently field players out of their natural roles, resulting in another runner-up finish for Arsenal.
Though the season has just started, injury problems are already plaguing Arsenal. Before Saliba, the club’s injury ward included notable names like Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Ben White, and Christian Norgaard. An ankle injury prevented Saliba from joining the French national team squad, and the announcement from L'Equipe brought no joy to Arteta: Saliba will be out for 3 to 4 weeks. This means he will miss three Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, Man City, and Newcastle, as well as the Champions League opener against Athletic Bilbao.
The only bright spot currently is Gabriel Jesus’s imminent return after being sidelined since the start of the year with a cruciate ligament injury. Unfortunately, the Brazilian forward was not included in Arsenal’s Champions League squad this season.
Saliba’s injury has genuinely worried Arsenal supporters.
This is not the first time Arsenal has been unlucky with a central defender injury. Saliba’s defensive partner, Gabriel, suffered a hamstring injury in early April last season and was sidelined for the rest of the campaign. The severe impact of that injury was Arsenal losing ground in the title race. When Saliba left the pitch during the Liverpool match, Arsenal suffered their first Premier League loss of the season. Losing to Liverpool isn’t catastrophic, but it served as a warning to Arteta’s team that injuries might once again spoil Arsenal’s Premier League title chances.
That’s why Arsenal were very active in the summer transfer window, preparing for injury-related setbacks. They signed seven newcomers across various positions: Kepa, Zubimendi, Norgaard, Madueke, Mosquera, Gyokeres, and Eze. In defense, Mosquera was brought in to add depth at center-back after Jakub Kiwior left Emirates to join Porto on loan for the season. The Valencia recruit will have plenty of chances to prove that the £16.5 million fee Arsenal paid was well spent during September.
The difference between starting options and backups is why Arsenal struggle whenever key players get injured. Recall last season when Odegaard, Saka, or Havertz were sidelined, Arsenal struggled to find suitable replacements. They lacked a midfielder to support Declan Rice because Thomas Partey was frequently injured, and the aging Jorginho couldn’t sustain heavy playing time. Arsenal also lacked a quality striker when Havertz and Jesus were both injured, forcing Merino, originally a midfield reinforcement, to play as a false number nine.
Is this season the moment for Arsenal to accept living with injuries to key players? The answer will become clearer in the upcoming match against Nottingham Forest this weekend. Meanwhile, Arteta hopes the FIFA international break won’t cause any further injuries.
Hanh Mai
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