Mikel Arteta could be without a key player this weekend.placeholder image
Mikel Arteta could be without a key player this weekend. | Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Arsenal will want to strengthen in January after coming through a mini-injury crisis, the last thing Mikel Arteta needs is to lose players who could be valuable.
Mikel Arteta knows that Arsenal will need to strengthen again in January if his team isn’t going to suffer the same fate as recent seasons.
Getting to the top of the Premier League has never really been a problem under the Spaniard. The issue has been gettingg over the line. The respective returns of Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz will be like the proverbial new signings but being out injured will have blunted their considerable talents for a while yet. Arteta needs players who are good to go now.
Arsenal duo targeted for January moves
What has been impressive about Arsenal this season has been how well the squad has coped without key players for. Stupid periods throughout the campaign. Regular starters like Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel and Viktor Guokeres have all spent time on the sidelines and yet they are still top of the table with the squad improving on an almost weekly basis.
What Arteta won’t want, is to lose players who he might need for a title run in, or of injuries hit again. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri haven’t featured as often as either of them would want this season but with Arsenal competing for four trophies, they will be called upon either to rest and rotate or off the bench to keep key players sharp for the business end of the campaign. According to The Athletic, there is interest in the two teenage stars but Arteta has, understandably, put his foot down.
What Arteta said about unhappy Arsenal teen
The Gunners boss has spoken about Lewis-Skelly’s drop in minutes with patience being a key word for the England international to bare in mind: “Yes for sure, we are here to support and to help each other and give a good perspective of the situation," Arteta said when asked if the teenager needed reassurance. "When you look at his age, what he's already done, he's just remarkable. So don't look at the one [bad] moment what is happening for you because maybe it happens for the right reason and today you cannot see it."
On Nwaneri last season, Arteta was equally as efusive in his praise for the academy graduate: "At 17 years old to be in the position he is, in one of the biggest clubs in Europe sums up his level," said Arteta.At the moment he wants it a lot and he is surrounded by the right people.
"It is rare to see talent like this at 17 years old. When he made his debut in the Premier League, he was good. We know the pathway we want with him and we want to send him a message of how much we trust him and believe in him."
Both players are still in the early stages of their respective careers, but with a World Cup on the horizon and Thomas Tuchel giving every player a chance, neither of them will want to spend the rest of the season on the bench.
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