‘Doesn’t look good’ – Arteta worried after Arsenal teenager injury
Louie Copley faces an anxious wait after suffering a knee injury just minutes into his latest Arsenal first-team opportunity against Real Betis.
The 19-year-old had been building momentum during pre-season after returning from a senior loan spell with Crawley Town.
Copley replaced Ben White at half-time during Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat in Dublin and was asked to operate at right-back rather than his usual midfield position. However, his appearance lasted less than 10 minutes after his studs caught in the turf and he went down clutching his knee.
Mikel Arteta admitted afterwards that the early signs were concerning. The Standard reports that Copley will undergo a scan on Thursday to determine the extent of the damage.
🎙️Mikel Arteta on news of Louie Copley’s injury…
🗣️”Well, probably we're going to have it tomorrow. It doesn't look good; the mechanism is not too positive.
“The symptoms that he has, so let's hope that tomorrow the news is better than what we think.“ #afc pic.twitter.com/kpTcJrINbe
— Arsenal Radar (@ArsenalRadar) August 5, 2026
Arteta said the mechanism of the injury did not look positive, although Arsenal will wait for the scan before drawing any conclusions.
For Copley, the timing is particularly unfortunate.
The midfielder returned to Arsenal this summer after gaining his first sustained experience of senior football at Crawley. He has since been given another opportunity around Arteta’s senior squad, with Arsenal’s current right-back situation opening the door for him to demonstrate his versatility.
Wednesday represented another chance to do exactly that.
Instead, Copley required assistance from Arsenal’s medical staff before being replaced by Theo Julienne and heading straight down the tunnel.
The injury was also identified as the main concern in ReadArsenal’s player ratings from the 3-1 Real Betis defeat, on a difficult evening when Arsenal were punished for several defensive mistakes.
Pre-season can provide academy players with opportunities that become harder to find once the competitive campaign starts. Copley had earned another of those chances and, at 19, still has considerable time on his side.
For now, though, Arsenal will simply hope Thursday’s scan brings better news than Arteta initially feared.
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