According to BBC Sport, Mikel Merino is facing a “sustained spell” on the sidelines after suffering a foot injury.
The Spain international was absent from Tuesday’s open training session ahead of the Champions League meeting with Kairat, a match for which he was suspended, but concerns grew when he was also left out of the travelling squad for yesterday’s win at Leeds.
Arteta revealed just before kick-off: “He’s got an issue in his foot. It’s a bone that’s giving him some pain, and we have some exams; we need some more specialists to look at it and to see how long he will be out.”
Sami Mokbel reports that Arsenal expect to know more within the next 48 hours, though speculation about a lengthy layoff suggests there is genuine cause for concern.
Just as Arsenal appeared close to clearing the deck on the injury front, the medical team now also have Bukayo Saka to assess. The winger was due to start at Elland Road but limped off during the warm-up.
Arteta later described the issue as “a little niggle”, though it leaves Saka racing to be fit for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea.
As things stand, Max Dowman is the only other first-team player sidelined, having been nursing an ankle problem since December.
That said, Arsenal are hardly short of options. Arteta was unable to find room for England international Myles Lewis-Skelly on the bench yesterday.