Following Takehiro Tomiyasu’s departure for the Asian Cup, the Gunners are short of options at left-back and could turn to Jakub Kiwior if the Ukraine international isn’t worth risking.
While it’s hard to say for certain, Arteta sounded optimistic when he faced the media on Friday afternoon.
“He’s progressing well,” said the Spaniard. “We have another training session tomorrow and I will evaluate whether he’s available or not to play and start the game. And the rest there is no actual news.”
The ‘rest’ includes long-term absentees Thomas Partey, Jurrien Timber and Fabio Vieira.
Earlier this week, Ghana opted not to include Partey in their squad for the upcoming African Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. It had been predicted that the midfielder would return to the fold in January having been sidelined since late October with a thigh injury but that’s looking less and less likely.
“He had a long term injury, he’s been trying to push his rehab and he really wanted to be with his national team, but obviously he’s still far from training with the team and it didn’t make a lot of sense to be involved,” said Arteta.
Pressed on when the former Atletico Madrid player might return, he continued: “Hopefully, it’s weeks [not months]. When and how many weeks will depend on how the next step, training with the team, takes him. But he’s progressing well.”
The groin injury sustained by Vieira in November required surgery and it sounds like a return to action is still some way off for him.
“He’s doing well, but again it was a surgery that required two different things to get resolved,” revealed Arteta.
“The first signs are good but he’s still a bit far from what we wanted. He needs to keep working and hopefully, in the next few weeks, we can have him.”
Despite the occasional rumour to the contrary, the Gunners will likely have to cope without summer signing Jurrien Timber until much later in the season.
“Unfortunately, that’s a very long-term injury,” said Arteta. “He’s doing really well, but he’s still very far from being fit to train with the team, that’s something separate from competing with the team.
We don’t expect him back any time soon playing with the team, that’s something that we have. It’s the situation that we have now as well with Tomi[yasu] having to leave and we have to cope with that.”
On Timber’s absence forcing Arsenal to shop for a defender in January, he added: “We are open for the transfer market but again the emphasis is on making the most out of the players that we have.
“We will work together with the club to understand whether there is any possibilities and if we have any good options. First of all, we focus on the players that we have.”
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