Blow for Arsenal as Ben White now faces months on the sidelines

Arsenal has been dealt a significant blow to their squad with the news that Ben White will be sidelined for several months due to injury. This comes as an unfortunate setback for the Gunners, who are already without Takehiro Tomiyasu. With both right-backs unavailable, it now seems likely that Thomas Partey will continue to fill in at right-back, despite being more accustomed to playing in midfield. This situation presents a unique challenge for Arsenal, as Partey has already been managing fitness issues and now faces the prospect of playing out of his natural position for an extended period.

White, who has been a key player for Arsenal since his arrival, underwent what was initially believed to be a minor surgery in the past few weeks. The hope was that he would be back on the field relatively quickly, but recent developments have proven otherwise. Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that White's recovery has not gone as expected, and his injury struggles have persisted. Arteta explained, as quoted by the Daily Mail, "Ben is going to be out for months, unfortunately. It's been a different kind of struggle, it's never been the same thing. We had to make a decision, it's not been improving in the last few weeks, unfortunately. We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to a point that we had to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery."

White's absence is a significant loss for Arsenal, as he has been one of their most reliable and consistent performers in recent seasons. His ability to contribute both defensively and offensively has made him an integral part of Arteta's system. While the team will have to find a way to adapt in his absence, the extended absence of White, coupled with Tomiyasu's injury, means that Arsenal will need to carefully manage their resources to avoid overworking other players like Partey. The Gunners will be hoping for a swift recovery for White, but in the meantime, Arteta will have to find solutions to cover this crucial role.