Arsenal are facing an injury crisis of worrying proportions, with one midfielder ruled out until the end of the year with injury.
The Gunners slumped to their first league defeat of the season away at Newcastle United at the weekend, following a drab League Cup exit at the hands of West Ham United the previous week. Mikel Arteta was without a number of his key players, however, with club Martin Odegaard the latest to be left out of the lineup.
The Norwegian joined Jurrien Timber, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey on the treatment table – and now reports have suggested that one of those currently afflicted could be out for longer than thought.
The Mirror claims that Ghanaian midfielder Partey is set to sit out the rest of 2023 through injury, as Arteta looks to reshape his midfield ahead of a critical period of the season.
With the games coming thick and fast, Arsenal have an imbalance of players their manager views as No.10s or No.6s with no natural No.8 to choose from. Declan Rice is the only obvious pick – though Arteta is thought to view him as the long-term No.6.
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Jorginho has been playing that deeper role recently with Rice ahead alongside either Odegaard or Havertz. Fabio Vieira and Smith Rowe can both play in midfield, while Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are both options – though both are still teenagers.
Partey, Odegaard and Rice started the Community Shield together against Manchester City but have featured for mere minutes in midfield together in the league so far, given that Partey was deployed at full-back at the start of the season before his injury issues resurfaced.
The Mirror have previously referred to Partey as "increasingly dissatisfied" with his playing time, suggesting the former Atletico Madrid man could be moved on in the next couple of transfer windows.
He joined Arsenal in 2020 for £45 million but has completed just 104 appearances in his three-and-a-half seasons in north London.
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