Arsenal sweat over key star as Arteta has five issues to solve during international break

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta may be relieved to see the sight of the November international break as he sets about solving the various issues within his squad.

The Gunners boss saw Bukayo Saka suffered another injury which caused the winger to withdraw from the England squad on Monday. The 23-year-old limped off during their London derby with Chelsea on Sunday following a robust challenge from Marc Cucurella and was not able to continue.

Arteta said he didn’t know the full extent of Saka’s injury and added it “didn’t look very good.” If there is a silver lining for the Spaniard, their next Premier League game is some 11 days away which gives the England international some time to recover.

Gabriel Martinelli and defender Gabriel have been called up by Brazil for a pair of 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay. The Selecao’s qualification isn’t guaranteed and head coach Dorival Junior will likely field a strong side for both matches.

That means Martinelli and Gabriel are likely to play in Salvador, Brazil, for the home game against Uruguay on November 20. In doing so, they will only have 48 hours to make the 5,010-mile journey back to London, train with the team and prepare for the clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.

The issue for Arteta is that Martinelli is one of the few in-form and available players he has in his attack right now. The 22-year-old scored in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea and has recently won his place back ahead of Leandro Trossard.

But with a late trip back from South America, Arteta may be forced to recall Trossard, whose form has dipped at the worst possible time for the north London outfit.

The Belgian forward was the ideal candidate for situations when Saka and Martinelli might not be available. He has a track record of coming off the bench to score crucial goals or deputising in games where Saka needs to be rested.

But this season has told an entirely different story, with Trossard getting sent off against Manchester City and missing a golden chance against Chelsea to take all three points.

Then there was his horrendous backpass which led to William Saliba receiving a red card, a game they went on to lose 2-0. He is struggling for form and Arteta may have second thoughts about throwing him into the team.

Trossard isn’t the only Arsenal attacker misfiring in front of goal, though, with Kai Havertz bagging only once in his last seven appearances – scoring in a 3-0 win over Preston in the Carabao Cup. Gabriel Jesus hasn’t found the net in any of his nine Premier League appearances, albeit the vast majority have come from the bench.

Of course, Arteta won’t be able to work with Havertz or Trossard on the training pitch as both have been called up for international duty. But he will be able to work with his coaching staff during the break to find new ways to break teams down and improving his side’s finishing in front of goal.