Arsenal have been dealt a significant blow to their plans after a key summer signing has been confirmed as needing to undergo a scan, following an injury sustained in Arsenal’s 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Dean Smith’s Aston Villa.
A brace from former Brentford striker Ollie Watkins and an unfortunate Bukayo Saka own goal consigned the Gunners to their fourth defeat in eight league games and left them 11th in the table.
The loss of Arsenal’s impressive new summer signing Thomas Partey was a further blow to Arteta’s plans, with the Ghanaian international having been noted for his strong performances and beginning to form a good partnership with Mohamed Elneny.
Having suffered a suspected thigh injury, he was taken off at half-time and replaced with Spaniard Dani Ceballos.
Arteta has since cast doubt on whether the 27-year-old will be involved in Ghana’s upcoming games, confirming he will likely need to undergo a scan and further treatment. The manager said after the game:
‘We don’t know [the extent] of it. We have to scan him tomorrow or the day after and see what he felt straight away. Let’s wait and see what the magnitude of the injury is.
‘I don’t know [if he will go away with Ghana now].
‘As I said, the doctor will have to have a look at him and probably scan him. Then we will decide what to do with him.’
Arteta was also quick to absorb criticism of his players, blaming himself for the Gunners’ lack of firepower. They managed just two shots on target despite having 13 attempts, whereas Villa managed six shots on target from 15 taken, with three of those ending up in the back of the net. The Arsenal manager added:
‘I don’t feel like we were the team we’re supposed to be, we performed below our standards, our ability and I didn’t see the spirit for the first time that I have seen every day in training and every day when we compete.
‘This is totally my fault, it is why I am here, I am responsible for that, to make sure the team performs and competes at the highest level every three days.
‘Today I haven’t done that, so obviously it is my fault.’
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Partey’s impending absence will come as huge blow for the Gunners’ short-term plans.
With luck, the injury will be relatively minor and won’t sideline him for long. Nevertheless, Arsenal will have to look to other options in order to fill the void left by Partey’s absence.
