A round-up of the latest Arsenal news as Thierry Henry gives Mikel Arteta a warning
and fears are growing at Emirates Stadium that Bukayo Saka has sustained an injury.
Arsenal fear Bukayo Saka has an injury after a worrying incident at PSV
Fears are on the rise at Arsenal that Saka has sustained a foot injury after the forward failed to feature at PSV Eindhoven. That is according to football.london, which reports that the 22-year-old was in some discomfort when he went down the tunnel with a physio this Tuesday.
Arsenal let Saka sit out their open training session at London Colney on Monday after he got a knock at Aston Villa last Saturday. But the winger still travelled to the Netherlands with the rest of Arteta’s squad. He would only be able to take a seat on the Gunners’ bench, however.
Saka also vacated the Gunners’ dugout at the Philips Stadion early during the 1-1 draw with PSV. He returned to their dressing room with a member of Arsenal’s coaching staff to assess his foot. Fears are now growing that Saka could miss their match with Brighton this Sunday.
The Seagulls travel to Emirates Stadium in the Premier League eying back-to-back wins over Arsenal in north London. Brighton won 3-0 back in May, so Arteta will want to have Saka fit. But Saka’s inclusion is in doubt following potentially the winger’s latest injury of the season.
Arsenal had already been without Saka – who Gareth Southgate calls ‘elite’ – for two games this term due to an injury. He took a knock to the foot during the north London derby with Tottenham Hotspur in September that ruled him out of a Carabao Cup clash with Brentford.
Arteta was also without Saka as Arsenal beat Manchester City 1-0 in October after picking up a hamstring injury in the Champions League against RC Lens. That injury even followed Saka suffering a second knock to a foot within only one week away to AFC Bournemouth.
Read more about the concerns surrounding Arsenal winger Saka’s injury, here.
Thierry Henry warns Mikel Arteta that Declan Rice cannot keep saving Arsenal
Arsenal icon Henry has warned Arteta that the Gunners cannot keep relying on Declan Rice to save them. The legendary France striker believes his former side have been too reliant at times this season on Rice bailing them out. But the midfielder will not always be their hero.
“Declan Rice saves us a couple of times,” Henry said on CBS Sports (13/12, 19:40). “It’s not going to happen all the time.”
Rice has proven his worth in more than gold since joining Arsenal in a club-record deal from West Ham United in July. Be it defensively or in the final third, the 24-year-old has delivered when needed. All three of his goals with the Gunners to date have proven game-changing.
The 48-cap England international opened his account with Arsenal’s go-ahead strike to beat Manchester United. Rice also scored the Gunner’s first goal at Chelsea to inspire a 2-2 draw, stopped Brentford from scoring in a 1-0 win and got the 97th-minute winner at Luton Town.
Read more about what Henry has had to say about Rice and Arsenal, here.
Emmanuel Adebayor says Arsenal have a ‘problem’ in Gabriel Jesus
Emmanuel Adebayor believes Arsenal have a ‘problem’ in Gabriel Jesus as he leaves the box too often. The Brazil striker reminds Adebayor of himself whilst at Emirates Stadium as he is regularly dropping deep or going wide to get on the ball rather than staying central to score.
“The problem with Arsenal is, even when I was there, I’d love to play football, to come in the middle and be part of the game because, technically, I’m not that bad,” he told talkSPORT.
“But now they have the same thing in Jesus. Jesus also likes to come to the ball and I think to win the league, they need a striker who can just be in front of the goal, who doesn’t care how many touches of the ball he has during the game – he just cares about finishing.”
Jesus revealed recently that he is working on spending more time inside the box. But the 26-year-old is also happy if his runs create space for Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and co to exploit. It has always been a trend of his game but has only led to two Premier League goals this term.
Read more about what Adebayor has had to say about Jesus and Arsenal, here.
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