A relatively comfortable victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League was evidence of the side’s development over the last couple of seasons with a squad capable of fighting on all fronts.
While Mikel Merino was finally able to make his debut against PSG, Mikel Arteta is still dealing with a number of injuries within his first-team group and will have to manage his remaining options carefully amid a busy calendar.
Martin Odegaard
The midfielder suffered an injury on international duty with Norway and has now missed several Premier League games. A return will not come before October’s international break, with Arteta giving a gloomy update on captain Odegaard’s condition: “The scan showed some damage around the ligaments in the ankle so we are going to miss him. It’s something quite significant so we are going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months.”
Possible return: Late October/early November.
Timber himself sounded the alarm ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League encounter with PSG about the hectic schedule with which top players are having to contend, echoing a prevailing conversation across the start of the continental campaign. It would have been a concern, then, for Arteta to have to take the versatile Dutch defender off at half time in the win.
His manager moved to allay fears post-match, though, insisting the substitution was precautionary as he manages Timber’s minutes after a long injury lay-off last season. “He was unbelievable in the first half, but he felt something muscular and he wasn’t certain,” Arteta explained. “So I didn’t want to take any risks.
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