Mikel Arteta has given an update regarding Bukayu Saka and Gabriel Martinelli on their injuries. This was done right before Arsenal’s comeback to the Premier League season for their match on Boxing Day, which will be against West Ham.
Both Martinelli and Saka represented their countries in the Qatar World Cup. Unfortunately, they were both eliminated in the quarter finals.
The news about Saka and Martinelli is a huge boost for Arsenal, as injuries are currently a major concern for Arteta, with Gabriel Jesus expected to be out until February at the earliest with a knee injury, and Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu both suffering from niggles.
Zinchenko is out with a calf injury, but according to sources, he should be back in time for Arsenal’s game against West Ham. While Tomiyasu is recovering from a hamstring injury sustained while on international duty with Japan.
Emile Smith Rowe’s recovery from groyne surgery was also hampered by Arteta’s confirmation that he had been absent from training this week. Reiss Nelson may also be out for a while after being injured in Arsenal’s mid-season friendly loss to Juventus, with Arteta unsure about his prognosis.
“We don’t know the extent of the injury,” Arteta stated. “The fact that he had to leave the pitch straight away is not good news, especially with someone like Reiss who is really powerful and fast. Let’s see what will happen. We know what we have to do and that doesn’t change the plans.”
Although the Gunners’ injury problems appear to be worsening, Arteta has received a significant boost with the return of two of his star attackers, Martinelli and Saka, who are expected to play against West Ham on Boxing Day.
Fans comment about Arteta’s confidence on the players
🚨 Arteta – "Saw Gabi [Martinelli] today with a huge smile on his face. We can’t wait to have them back. He and Saka were assessed [fitness] and they did well. They’re ready to train"
(@Freddie_Paxton ) pic.twitter.com/9ZHgxaHa4R
— Doc (@karthikadhaigal) December 17, 2022
Fans are overall excited to hear the return of the two strong pillars of Arsenal. They are ever more confident now that the Gunners will win the Premier League this year. Most fans responded to the statement with gifs that are happy.
Also a massive Saliba hole, a massive Martinelli hole, a massive Saka hole, Tomiyasu, Zinchenko etc.
Why do people choose to ignore reality to push their baseless narratives? https://t.co/fkaZaLbN5W
— NS (@NSftbl) December 17, 2022
There were some that complained before knowing that Saka and Martinelli would return. They claimed that the Arsenal team has “holes” in it everywhere. They claimed that the striker position is one of the biggest holes in the team, but other fans are placing their doubts to dismay.
Others claimed that Arsenal fans are overreacting over the situation, and that whenever a game is not won, there will be fans that would start tweeting about the “holes” in the team. Regardless, now with Saka and Martinelli back, it is confident that Arsenal can potentially win this season’s Premier League.
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