Ben White was substituted against Crystal Palace late on and Mikel Arteta made the decision to switch Thomas Partey into the right-back role. Days later it was uncovered that Takehiro Tomiyasu, who departed the Emirates Stadium on crutches football.london understood on Thursday night’s penalty defeat to Sporting CP, had successfully undergone knee surgery and would miss the remainder of the season.
The switch to right-back for Partey was an evident attempt by Arteta to ensure that some tried and tested options in the role were available should the worst-case scenario occur and the Gunners lose both right-back options. The youth player called up for last Sunday’s squad was Reuell Walters and despite his impressive showings in friendlies with the senior side, he remains some way off the level of the first team.
Had Arteta had what is most likely his best senior option available against Crystal Palace, perhaps we would have seen them deployed. The allusion is to William Saliba who also departed the Sporting CP clash with an injury that meant he was unavailable for both the final Premier League match before the break and the French international side.
