Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table with an impressive 4-0 win against Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. The north Londoners have now won their last three games and head into the clash against relegation-threatened Bournemouth full of confidence.
The Gunners have been hit with a few injury concerns before the game against the Cherries with manager Mikel Arteta uncertain over the fitness of Eddie Nketiah and Jorginho. Gabriel Jesus has stepped up his recovery from a knee injury with Arteta revealing that the Brazilian had taken part in some training sessions with the rest of the squad.
Nketiah has started the last two wins against Leicester and Everton on the bench, with Leandro Trossard coming into the team and impressing following his £27million move from Brighton to north London in January. Ahead of the crucial clash, football.london has rounded up the latest injury news involving the Gunners.
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Eddie Nketiah
Eddie Nketiah has impressed since taking up the role as the side's main striker, but recent matches have seen him drop to the bench. Mikel Arteta confirmed after his substitute appearance against Everton that the youngster had suffered with a slight injury concern, but should be fine for the next clash.
What Arteta has said: "We are assessing him," the Spaniard said in his pre-match press conference. "It's a bit uncertain what will happen with him to be honest in the training sessions.
"Let’s see, let’s keep the options open. He’s very positive about it and hopefully he’ll be fine."
Expected return date: Bournemouth (H) - March 4
Jorginho
Jorginho started last night's match against Everton ahead of Thomas Partey, although he made way for the Ghana international at half-time, with Arteta confirming that the former Chelsea midfielder wasn't feeling 100 per cent after the full-time whistle.
What Arteta has said: "Jorgi’s [Jorginho] is fine," Arteta said.
"He had an illness and he put in a great shift but we decided to take him off [vs Everton]."
Expected return date: Bournemouth (H) - March 4
Thomas Partey
A muscular problem ruled Partey out for a number of games but the 29-year-old finally made his return to action in the win over Leicester. He replaced Martin Odegaard with just over five minutes left of the second-half.
The Ghana international then came on at half-time during the win over the Toffees, meaning he should be fully fit to start against Bournemouth this weekend.
What Arteta has said: "The question mark on Thomas. He hasn’t trained much but looks like he could be available. Let’s see how he goes today. We’ve missed him in the past few games and hopefully he’ll be back."
Current fitness status: Fully fit
Emile Smith Rowe
A groin issue has plagued Smith Rowe's season thus far with the 22-year-old limited to just a handful of Premier League appearances so far this term. The talented playmaker did return with substitute appearances against Tottenham and Oxford United.
But he was missing for the FA Cup clash against Manchester City as football.london understands he was suffering from a thigh strain and was left out as a precaution. This issue also ruled him out for the games against Everton, Brentford and Man City but he did make the bench against Aston Villa and Leicester.
The talented playmaker played the first 45 minutes as the Gunners' Under-21 side took on Chelsea, however. He then came on for the last ten minutes of the game against Everton in midweek, getting some valuable minutes under his belt.
What Arteta has said: “Really good. Obviously, they needed some minutes and at the moment they haven’t had much exposure for different situations. It was great to see them on the field because we’re going to need them in the next couple of games.”
Current fitness status: Fully fit
Gabriel Jesus
Having suffered medial ligament damage whilst playing for Brazil against Cameroon in the World Cup group stages, Jesus returned to London to undergo surgery on his knee, with an expectation that he will be out for at least another month of footballing action.
Arsenal are hopeful of having Jesus back in the first-team squad before the international break towards the end of March, football.london understands. The north London outfit welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium before club action pauses for a fortnight due to international fixtures.
The Gunners are hopeful of having the former Manchester City frontman back in the squad before players head off with their respective nations.
On Tuesday evening, Jesus took to social media, posting a picture where he can be seen back on the field, playing with a ball. "Step by step", his tweet read, alongside multiple emojis before the hashtags of "alômãe" and "gratidão", which roughly translate to "hello mother" and "gratitude", the former of which refers to his iconic phone call celebration to his mother.
Arteta has now provided a fresh update on his number nine as he continues to edge closer to making a return.
What Arteta has said: "He's not far now. I don't want to give a timeline but he's doing certain things with the team, certain things outside the team. He's not very close but he is not far at all.
"He's feeling better every day and the doctors are confident with the way the injury is evolving and we are in a good place with him I think."
Expected return date: March.
Mohamed Elneny
Elneny started in the FA Cup win over Oxford United and played the whole 90 minutes. However, the Egyptian was absent for Arteta's squad for the 2-0 win at Tottenham, with a knee issue picked up in training ahead of the clash being assessed. Additionally, there was no place on the bench to face Manchester United.
A club statement last month then confirmed that the former Basel man will be out for an extended period of time, although no timescale was given on his expected return. Elneny has since penned a new deal at Arsenal as he closes in on a return.
Expected return date: N/A
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