Why Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino missed Arsenal’s clash with West Ham

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Arsenal take on West Ham in Premier League action on Saturday afternoon, with hopes of closing the gap on league leaders Liverpool.

The Gunners are in some fine form after picking up victories against Nottingham Forest and Sporting CP over the past week.

Attention quickly turns to the Hammers, as a trip across London creates a new challenge for Mikel Arteta and his side.

Arsenal have a patchy record against West Ham as of late, something they will be hoping to turn in their favour.

They may have to do so without some stars though, including a huge double miss for the Gunners.

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Arsenal handed Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey injury blow

Arsenal have named the side to take on West Ham, with Arteta now showing the latest on the team he has available.

Two key stars are missing from it, with Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey not featuring in the team at all.

Merino was one of those doubts during training this week the club have confirmed that he misses out through a knee issue.

Thomas Partey is another who missed out, with the midfielder struggling with a muscular problem during the week.

In terms of other team news, the manager has been boosted by the return of defender Gabriel Magalhaes.

Gabriel was an injury concern after playing against Sporting CP in mid-week, with the centre-back unable to continue in the match.

He has been fit to start though, with Arsenal looking to land a huge win without the duo.

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Current Arsenal injury issues

While the issues for Partey and Merino are unknown in terms of how long they could be out for, it presents a familiar problem for Arteta.

He is now without two more midfield options, leaving him with Jorginho, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard for the first team.

Ethan Nwaneri is plenty capable of stepping in for certain moments, but with big games coming up, there may be concerns for how much of an impact he can make.

Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are two other players who face a spell on the sidelines, with the squad set to be stretched over the coming weeks.