SaqMikel Arteta faces a midfield crisis ahead of Sunday’s north London derby after Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard ruled out of action in Norway with an ankle injury.
The Gunners are nervously waiting to assess the extent of the injury, but Odegaard appears to be a doubt for Sunday’s trip to Tottenham, with Norway manager Stale Solbakken saying the injury “looks serious”. He will return to London today, having been pictured on crutches as he boarded a private jet.
If the 25-year-old is deemed unfit this weekend, Arteta risks 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 a crucial week for Arsenal at the start of the season, they then travel to Atalanta for their first Champions League group stage game 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 match against Austria after a foul on Christoph Baumgartner. The score was 1-1, but Norway eventually won 2-1 thanks to Erling Haaland’s late goal.
“It looked bad in the dressing room,” Solbakken told Norwegian broadcaster TV 2. “I saw [Martin] “He was sitting with the physios around him but he didn’t have the chance to continue and we know it was a sprained ankle. With luck it can be okay, if the ligaments aren’t torn, but I’m not sure Arteta will call me tonight to congratulate me.”
Odegaard was the target of several significant tackles in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton earlier this month and appeared to struggle for much of that game before being substituted, but has declared himself fit to rejoin the national team and played 90 minutes in the 0-0 draw with Kazakhstan on Friday night.
The playmaker has missed just four Premier League games in the last two seasons and Arsenal do not have a replacement in his line-up, 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 set 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 Kai Havertz, Leandro Trossard or perhaps Jurrien Timber could be asked to play out of position.
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