EXCLUSIVE: Mikel Arteta is battling a defensive injury crisis which has been deepened by Ben White being the last casualty to the injury table despite all the investment in sports science in football
08:00, 20 Dec 2025Updated 08:09, 20 Dec 2025
Ray Parlour
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Ray Parlour has questioned Arsenal's recent injury crisis(Image: The People)
Arsenal’s Premier League title bid has hit a major bump in the road in the form of a defensive injury crisis.
Heading into the clash at the Hill Dickinson against Everton on Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s side have won just two of their last four games, seeing Manchester City and Aston Villa close the gap to just two and three points respectively, after both teams put together four consecutive wins.
Arteta will be without Ben White, who has become the latest injury casualty, for at least a month with a hamstring injury. The versatile defender joins Gabriel, Cristhian Mosquera, Kai Havertz and Max Dowman on the treatment table.
Mikel Arteta
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Mikel Arteta has had to handle an injury crisis(Image: Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Concerns over Martin Zubimendi’s fitness arose after the Spaniard missed training on Tuesday. While Declan Rice, William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and Leandro Trossard all returned for Arsenal's narrow 2-1 win over Wolves last Saturday, but were far from firing.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sport, via NetBet Sports Betting, club legend Ray Parlour questioned why there are so many injuries at the club given the major investment and focus on sports science in the modern game.
Parlour said: “They have a load of analysts and they'll have all sorts of physios and people of different programmes,
Ray Parlour
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Ray Parlour is known for enjoying a couple of beers(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
“But it is a bit of a concern that there is a lot of injuries now, whether it's the pitch is a bit more firmer, I don't know, but certainly in my era we didn't get nowhere near as many injuries and it was a physical game era.”
‘The Romford Pele’ played 12 years at Arsenal at a time when footballers were not scrutinised as much as they are today, and he and his team-mates knew how to enjoy themselves on a night out.
“I mean, I used to go out. I was never really injured, if I'm being honest. My worst injury was about 10 weeks and that was only because I've done my cartilage.
“But I still went out and had a couple of beers. It didn't hurt me and I was just getting kicked and I didn't really pull that many muscles and my body and I trained hard as well."
Ben White
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Ben White is the latest Arsenal player to suffer an injury(Image: Getty Images)
“I was always one of the hardest trainers because I always had to train, but I don't know how people are made now,” Parlour added.
“They can't go back like we used to, obviously. It's too many camera phones now and all that sort of stuff. It wasn't around in the early 90s, so you could get away with it a little bit more as players than they can now.
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“You are a superstar now everywhere you go, you're going to be pictured and that's the life you've got now, but it's a great life as well. There's no doubt about it.
“I'm sure the footballers will say ‘my life can begin at 35 when I do retire and enjoy myself'.
“But while you're a young age and you're playing for Arsenal Football Club, you've got to concentrate and be professional and be the best you can be as a player, and that's what they're trying to do.”