Declan Rice was not included in the matchday squad to face Liverpool on Sunday, with the Arsenal midfielder believed to be nursing a hamstring strain.
According to the BBC, Rice missed the match against Arne Slot's side due to a muscular issue and it's unclear at this stage if the 26-year-old will play a part in the Gunners' final two fixtures of the season. Club medics do not want to take unnecessary risks with the former West Ham man, the report adds, which may worry England boss Thomas Tuchel ahead of next month's internationals against Andorra and Senegal.
Mikel Arteta was asked about Rice's injury on Sunday but the Spaniard did not go into much detail. "Declan couldn't even train so he's injured unfortunately and couldn't make the game," Arteta told reporters.
Rice has made 50 appearances for the north Londoners this campaign, contributing with eight goals and 10 assists. With Mikel Merino playing up top and Jorginho out injured, the midfielder has hardly been afforded any rest in recent weeks. He played the whole match against PSG in the Champions League semi-final second leg last Wednesday.
The injury perhaps reiterates the point that Arsenal need extra depth in the midfield department next season. Thomas Partey and Jorginho, however, could depart Emirates Stadium this summer as both their contracts expire in just a matter of weeks.
Plans have been in place to address the midfield issue for some time, with a deal for Martin Zubimendi understood to be close.football.london understands that Arsenal have been confident in getting a deal done for the Real Sociedad midfielder for some time with other deals worked on under the expectation he would be joining.
As revealed by Ben Jacobs on Friday evening, the Gunners have reached a full agreement on personal terms with Zubimendi. The deal is not fully over the line just yet, however, with a fee still needing to be paid to Sociedad. The Spanish midfielder has a £50.8million (€60million) release clause in his contract although the Gunners may look to pay a bit more so they can pay the fee in instalments.
football.london expects the club to be busy in the summer transfer window, with Arsenal in the market for a forward, a back-up goalkeeper, defender and potentially a versatile wide player, too. New sporting director Andrea Berta will work alongside Arteta in the coming weeks and months to try and build a much more complete squad with added quality and depth for the 2025/26 campaign.
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Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus with the Arsenal Therapy Dog Win during the Arsenal Men's team group shoot at London Colney on September 18, 2023
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