Arsenal have confirmed the injury sustained by Thomas Partey last weekend will rule him out for the start of the new season.
The Ghanaian suffered ankle ligament damage in the pre-season encounter with Chelsea, and the club say that they hope he will be back in training in ‘approximately’ three weeks.
That means we won’t see him until after our opening three fixtures against Brentford, Chelsea and Man City, and the international break. It looks like the home clash with Norwich on September 11th will be where he makes his comeback.
Meanwhile, Eddie Nketiah has also been sidelined with an ankle problem picked up in the same game, with a four week time frame put on his return to training.
The striker has only 12 months left on his contract, and refused an extension, so his future was already in some doubt. The Gunners reportedly turned down a £12m bid from Crystal Palace last month, and it now remains to be seen if this injury will scupper his chance for a move elsewhere before the window closes on August 31st.
There’s a more vague update on defender Gabriel Magalhaes who withdrew from Brazil’s Olympics squad because of tendinitis in his knee. He has apparently completed a course of rehabilitation in Mexico, and will now return to London to continue his recovery. Arsenal say he will be back in contention in the ‘forthcoming’ weeks.
Mikel Arteta’s men take on Spurs at the Toilet Bowl on Sunday afternoon, the last game before the new season starts, and the manager will be keeping fingers crossed that his players come through that one with both a win and a clean bill of health.
