Arsenal injury scare could have just exposed biggest weakness with Tottenham clash looming

Arsenal have been handed an injury scare that could leave Mikel Arteta sweating ahead of their north London derby clash against Tottenham next week.

The Gunners will face Tottenham in the first of two local derbies this season on September 15, knowing that victory is a must if they are to keep up with Manchester City’s storming start to the season.

But confirmation from club captain Martin Odegaard – when speaking to the Norwegian media on Thursday – that he suffered an injury during their 1-1 draw with Brighton will be a cause for concern.

He picked up a knock following a challenge from Yankuba Minteh during the first half of the game last weekend and received treatment on the pitch before carrying on until he was replaced by Gabriel Martinelli.

Despite that, the 25-year-old still joined up with the Norway squad for their opening UEFA Nations League double-header against Kazakhstan last night, before the team return to Oslo to welcome Austria on Monday.

Norway manager Stale Solbakken described the problem as a ‘bang’, suggesting he may not be risked to avoid a potential war of words with Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

“I think it’s another bang,” Solbakken said on Thursday in a news conference. “I was about to say, I think it is something other than the bang, so to speak.”

The prospect of Odegaard exacerbating the issue will be a major worry for Arteta, who is already without some key players in the games ahead.

He will be forced to replace the suspended Declan Rice for the game against their north London rivals after the England star was controversially sent off against Brighton. The England international will serve a one-match ban and is therefore unavailable for the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Arsenal then have the mouthwatering clash against likely title rivals Manchester City to come on September 22, so it is critical now – perhaps more than ever – that Odegaard stays fit.

Arteta would perhaps not have been so troubled by potentially losing Odegaard last season, mainly because he had £34m midfielder Fabio Vieira available to step in at a moment’s notice. But Vieira was allowed to return to FC Porto on loan this summer, leaving the Spanish boss exposed in that particular area.

It would be a big ask of 17-year-old youngster Ethan Nwaneri to be dropped in at the deep end in a game where the stakes are so high. Nwaneri is undoubtedly talented but needs time to adjust to the physical nature of senior football after starring at academy level.

If he does get injured again, a possible solution could be to slot Leandro Trossard or Kai Havertz into Odegaard’s role as chief creator.

But even then, the Gunners would be weakening themselves in other attacking areas – something they can ill afford against a team as dangerous as Spurs.