Arsenal take on Aston Villa on Wednesday night and then on Sunday they take on Manchester United and in both these matches, midfielders Elneny and Thomas Partey will be absent.
Thomas Partey sustained a Quadriceps Strain and as per the latest reports, he is going to be out for a few weeks. He missed the Fulham game which is why Mohamed Elneny played in midfield alongside Granit Xhaka.
However, the Egyptian also picked up an injury in that game and now he too is sidelined. Elneny played the full 90 minutes against Fulham and as per the latest rumours, he could be out for a significant amount of time.
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Arsenal are still waiting for the full extent of the injury but the injury to both these midfielders has shaken up Arteta’s plans and the club are now looking to sign a new midfielder before deadline day.
Will the injuries to Elneny and Thomas Partey cause major issues to Arsenal?
Thomas Partey has seen several injury setbacks during his time in the Premier League and thanks to this latest one, he could miss the next five games for Arsenal.
🇬🇠Thomas Partey sustained a minor muscle injury and will be out for a ‘couple of weeks’ [@kayakaynak97]. pic.twitter.com/t2R0PyNScm
— Owuraku Ampofo (@_owurakuampofo) August 30, 2022
However, the hamstring injury to Mohamed Elneny is a major major blow for the manager because he now has only Lokonga and Fabio Vieira as backups. While Lokonga is a proper central midfielder, Vieira is a more attack-minded midfielder.
Arsenal will somehow have to manage the Aston Villa game with Xhaka and Lokonga in midfield but it will be really tough for them to face Manchester United with this pairing.
Yes, Arsenal have been the best team in the Premier League this season but Manchester United are also picking up pace and with Fernandes and Eriksen playing in the middle of the pitch, the likes of Xhaka and Lokonga could be chasing shadows on Sunday.
The Gunners have spent a lot of money during the summer but if the injuries to Partey and Elneny are serious then Edu and co have no other choice but to go on the hunt for a new midfielder.
Some rumours are suggesting that Arsenal are now looking at Palmeiras’ Danilo as the emergency signing but they could also go for ex Hoffenheim midfielder Florian Grillitsch who is currently a free agent.
