Mikel Arteta is facing a midfield crisis ahead of Sunday’s north London derby, after Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard limped out of Norway action with an ankle injury.
The Gunners are today waiting nervously to assess the extent of the problem, but Odegaard appears to be a major doubt for Sunday’s trip to Tottenham, with Norway boss Stale Solbakken saying the injury “looked bad”. He will return to London today, having been pictured on crutches as he boarded a private jet.
Should the 25-year-old be deemed unfit this weekend, Arteta faces going to Spurs without the entirety of what is expected to become his first-choice midfield, with Declan Rice suspended and £31.6million summer signing Mikel Merino already sidelined through injury.
In what is a crucial week early in Arsenal’s season, they then travel to Atalanta for their Champions League group-stage opener next Thursday, before a daunting trip to face champions Manchester City the following Sunday.
Odegaard was forced off midway through the second half of his country’s Nations League meeting with Austria following a challenge with Christoph Baumgartner. The scores were level at 1-1 at that stage, but Norway went on to win 2-1, thanks to Erling Haaland’s late goal.
“It looked bad in the dressing room,” Solbakken told Norwegian outlet TV 2. “I saw [Martin] was sitting with the physiotherapists around him, but he had no chance to continue and we know it was an ankle sprain. With luck, it can turn out okay, if the ligaments aren’t torn, but I’m not sure Arteta will call me tonight to praise me.”
Odegaard was on the receiving end of several hefty challenges during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton earlier this month and looked to struggle through much of that match before being replaced, but declared himself fit to join up with the national team and had played 90 minutes in the 0-0 draw with Kazakhstan on Friday night.
The playmaker has missed just four Premier League matches across the past two seasons and Arsenal do not have a like-for-like replacement, having allowed Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira to leave the club this summer.
With Rice ruled out after his controversial dismissal against Brighton and Merino expected to miss up to two months after injuring his shoulder in his first Arsenal training session, Arteta may have to get creative if Odegaard is also absent at Spurs.
Jorginho could make his first appearance of the season, while one of Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard or perhaps Jurrien Timber may be asked to play out of position.
