Arsenal has already lost two players to medium- and long-term injuries just a few weeks into the current campaign.
After sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury that necessitated surgery, Jurrien Timber is now out for the majority of the season, and Thomas Partey is currently dealing with a groin injury that will keep him from playing until at least after the October international break.
Even with the weekend off, Arsenal cannot seem to get a break. That is, unless you’re a player competing for his country in international football, which is tragically the majority of the Gunners’ team. Perhaps some thought on the situation can be done during the break, especially at the executive level.
The final player to enter the building was David Raya when sporting director Edu quietly closed the window on incomings. Many people had hoped for a fifth arrival on deadline day, but regrettably neither Timber nor Partey received a move to cover them.
Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares, and Rob Holding got to leave instead. The futures of Nicolas Pepe and Cedric Soares are still uncertain as international deadlines approach.
It should be a priority in the near future to replace Partey, which I believe should be seriously examined in view of the ongoing injury difficulties. However, there might be a chance to recruit a player in 2024 who is completely free to the club in order to replace the Ghanaian.
The purpose of my attendance at the Emirates Cup, which took place before the start of the new season, was to observe how Arsenal’s new additions might perform and how the system would function if Eddie Nketiah were to fill in for Gabriel Jesus. Instead, I noticed that I was pulled to a rival player.
These are all traits we expect from Partey, who under Arteta has certainly developed his game in the final third with more accurate long-range shooting and direct passing. Fofana’s deal with Monaco expires at the end of the season rather crazily.
However, the Ligue 1 side do have the option to extend by a further year. The price of the player this summer was €35million (£30million) plus add-ons with Nottingham Forest, according to David Ornstein, making a bid of this amount which met the club’s expectations yet the player opted against the move and stayed on the Mediterranean coast.
A move next summer could be even cheaper for Arsenal to secure considering the length of his deal left. The Gunners may have found the perfect option at a fraction of the cost of the likes of Moises Caicedo.
