Bukayo Saka's recent injury is "not a catastrophe" for Arsenal, and there is "real relief" around the club following the results of initial tests, Charles Watts has told Sports Mole.
While the Gunners' 5-0 beating of Leeds Unitedin Saturday's Premier League clash was seemingly perfect from a scoreline point of view, Saka's enforced withdrawal early in the second half was one of two dampeners on the day.
Saka dropped to the turf after making a sprint infield and was seen holding the back of his thigh before trudging off with a member of the medical team, sparking fears of another lengthy layoff after his three-month absence with a torn hamstring last season.
However, reports have now claimed that the 23-year-old will be out for up to four weeks maximum, meaning he will only miss a handful of games, albeit important games against Liverpool (August 31) and potentially Manchester City (September 21) and Newcastle United (September 28).
Nevertheless, with Noni Madueke and Max Dowman fit and raring to go, Watts believes that the situation could have been far worse, saying: “It is a huge blow because he's so important.
"But Arsenal need to move on from being so reliant on a player that if he does miss a game, it's seen as an absolute catastrophe. I don't think it is now. That says a lot for the work that Arsenal have done in the transfer market.
Arsenal's "real relief" over Saka injury revealed
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka receives treatment for an injury on August 23, 2025
“There is real relief around Arsenal and certainly those close to Saka. There was a genuine fear that it could be quite a long layoff. This is best case scenario in terms of the initial scans. It must be noted that they are still assessing it; the initial prognosis is it's not too bad; three or four week layoff is the time frame they're looking at.
“But it is still relatively early, so things could change. But Arsenal and the players are looking at it as good news. We've got the international break as well, which helps. If Saka does come back in three weeks, it's not terrible.
“But the position that Arsenal put themselves in; you could play Max Dowman there against Liverpool! He won't do that - it'll be Madueke on the right - but the options are there for Arsenal. They've put themselves in a position when they can cover for the absence of some big-name players.
“It did put a slight dampener on what was otherwise a perfect day, but there is definitely a sense that they've got away with something that could have been potentially worse.”
Prior to Saka's withdrawal in the second half, Mikel Arteta was forced to bring captain Martin Odegaard off prematurely against the Whites, as the Norwegian struggled with a shoulder injury following an awkward fall.
Odegaard initially tried to soldier on, but Arteta erred on the side of caution with his captain and sent on Ethan Nwaneri, who is expected to predominantly play centrally from hereon in after acting as Saka's deputy on the right last season.
Nwaneri impressed in the Odegaard role in pre-season and enjoyed some bright moments in the weekend's win, completing two successful dribbles and completing 100% of his passes, picking out a teammate 26 times from 26 attempts.
Arsenal's Odegaard replacements assessed amid shoulder injury
Arsenal's Martin Odegaard pictured on August 23, 2025
There has been no update on the severity of Odegaard's injury, but while Watts would hope to see Nwaneri deputise for his skipper at Anfield on Sunday if need be, he would not be surprised to see Arteta play it safe with an experienced head such as Mikel Merino.
“I'm intrigued to see what Mikel is going to do if Martin doesn't make it," he added. "As far as I'm aware, all I know is that he's still considered a doubt. I haven't been told he's definitely out of it, but we'll wait and see. You would think it’s probably unlikely he features.
“I hope he goes with Ethan. Ethan played well when he came on in that position against Leeds. Doing it at Anfield is a whole new ball game, but it would be an enormous show of trust in Ethan to be able to play that role, do everything that is demanded in terms of leading the press.
“Last season, I don't think he would have done it. He would have gone safe and played a Mikel Merino. I wouldn't be shocked if he does that again - I hope he doesn't - but there are other options available to him.
“Eze’s going to be available; he's fully fit and raring to go. You could easily shift Declan Rice over to the right, play Eze as the left eight and have Martinelli or Trossard on the left. It would be a big show of faith for Ethan and a sign that Mikel's trust levels in him have gone up an awful lot in a relatively short space of time.”
Watching on helplessly at the Emirates on Sunday was fellow attacker Kai Havertz, who cast a stoic figure as he sat out his first match since picking up a fresh knee injury, one that fans are also still in the dark about.
As well as the German being sidelined for an unspecified amount of time, Arsenal still cannot call upon ACL victim Gabriel Jesus, even though the Brazil international recently cleared a huge hurdle in his recovery from January's devastating injury.
Arsenal's centre-forward depth weakened after "massive" Havertz blow
Arsenal's Kai Havertz pictured on August 9, 2025
Therefore, summer signing Viktor Gyokeres is Arteta's only fit out-and-out number nine at present, and he arrived with a near impeccable injury record, missing just five games in his career so far according to Transfermarkt.
However, Watts remains slightly concerned about the lack of centre-forward cover for the Sweden international, and he does not expect any more signings to arrive to rectify the situation.
“This is Arsenal. You can be the least injury prone player in the world, turn up and within a week and you're injured," he added. "I can't imagine they're going to do something to fix it in the market. So it does concern me a little bit. I wouldn't say for certain, but I'd be surprised if they do any other business.
“Eze gives them options of playing Trossard and Martinelli up front. Merino did a very good job there last season. The hope is that Kai Havertz won't be out for too long. We're still in that two-week period where they're just letting the injury heal itself.
“After a couple of weeks they'll assess it again and decide on the best course of action. We’re still in a waiting game. But it's a massive blow. Havertz is such an important player, such an underrated player by so many people. Not just outside Arsenal but inside as well. I'm really surprised at how undervalued he is by some sections of the support.
“He was looking so physically strong, missed such a large chunk of last season. He'd have been absolutely chomping at the bit to support and compete with Gyokeres. It significantly weakens Arsenal's options, no doubt about it.”
While Saka, Havertz and Gyokeres could all miss Sunday's showdown with Liverpool, new signing Eberechi Eze will be eligible to make his debut, and Watts also explained why he feels that the Englishman is the Gunners' most exciting signing since Mesut Ozil.
> Click here to listen to the full discussion on Arsenal's injury blows
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