Forget Saka and Odegaard, one Arsenal injury has cost Mikel Arteta even more in the title race

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Injuries have been costly for Arsenal this season, with several absences causing issues for Mikel Arteta in the season.

The Gunners have suffered long-term injuries to Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, with the pair’s crucial influence being missed.

While the duo have been out of action, there is another injury that has perhaps been a bigger problem for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

That being Ben White, the absence of whom has had a huge knock-on effect on the rest of the team this campaign.

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Ben White injury has been costly for Arsenal this season

It is perhaps understated just how impressive Ben White has been since he made the £50million move to Arsenal.

The defender was a solid centre-back in his first season before the rise of William Saliba, which has pushed him to right-back.

His performance, through injury or otherwise, has been crucial to the base that Mikel Arteta has built at the club.

Since the injury to White, and the following surgery, the side have been mixing and matching the options available at the back.

Jurrien Timber has been a fine deputy, potentially challenging him for the shirt once a return is on the cards.

However, the Dutchman has been feeling a mixture of injuries and changes in position, which has left the right-back slot open.

With Takehiro Tomiyasu out, Thomas Partey has featured and played relatively poorly at times in that position.

White, the man holding it all together with solid performances, has been a huge miss as the team gets torn open time and again.

While scoring has been an issue, the water-tight defence has been anything but so far this season, ever since the injury.

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When does Ben White return from injury?

Fortunately for Arsenal, Ben White could be gearing up for a return to action around the end of January, coming as a boost.

Whether the defender can hit the heights straight away remains to be seen, but he could be back in time to help in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.

The challenge for Arsenal is to get themselves back on track, with White crucial to those hopes in the weeks ahead.