Arsenal FC will welcome in Nottingham Forest for their next gamer/first Premier League fixture out of the international break. Then the following week comes another monumental clash, a visit from the juggernaut that is Manchester City on Sept 21. It’s all part of what should be an action-packed September and October for the North London side. Will the likes of William Saliba, Ben White, Christian Norgaard and Bukayo Saka be available for these matches?
We already know that Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus (both have knee problems that will keep them out until November or December) won’t be.
William Saliba
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gave the following update on Saliba after the loss at Liverpool on Sunday:
“He twisted his ankle during the warm-up, and he came in and he said he believed that he could carry on and play, but straight away in the first two actions. I could see that he couldn’t cope, and we had to get him out, unfortunately.”
He should be fine for the 13th.
Ben White
White is a tricky situation, as his injury is unspecified and undisclosed. Basically, he seems to be in the “day-to-day” category, so he’s therefore, a likely 50/50 proposition for the next clash. Arteta said the following on Friday, in regards to White and Norgaard: “Again, tomorrow we have another day, let’s see how they evolve, and there’s a chance to keep them involved in the game.”
Christian Norgaard
Pretty much everything we said in the item above, regarding White, applies here. Really, their situations are very similar.
Bukayo Saka
It’s a different hamstring than the one he hurt last season, and this time the injury is not as serious. However, it’s very doubtful he’ll be ready versus Nottingham Forest, and even the City clash doesn’t look likely right now.
Arteta offered the following update on Saka on Friday:
“Bukayo is doing better, but he will be out for a few weeks, unfortunately. No surgery, it’s not as bad as the previous one. Very unfortunate to pick it up because it’s on the other side.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter