Mikel Arteta admits something rare just happened in Arsenal training he has not seen before

01/06/2025 12:15 PM

Mikel Arteta has a headache at Arsenal right now.

Bukayo Saka could be out until March with his torn hamstring, Ethan Nwaneri has also since suffered an injury, while Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz are currently sidelined too.

Furthermore, Arsenal are currently six points behind Liverpool in the Premier League – who still have a game in hand – in a season where many expected the Gunners to be the ones top of the tree if Manchester City slipped away.

Now, after a disappointing 1-1 draw against Brighton on Saturday, Mikel Arteta has revealed something “unknown” to him happened in training at London Colney.

Arsenal unable to even train with sufficient numbers

Such is the thin nature of Arsenal’s squad right now, the north Londoners couldn’t even field eleven senior players to take part in training today (Monday 6th January).

Arteta said: “Today we had seven, eight players with us (in training) and just (had) to fill the squad, which is unknown, but it is a way to learn as well, this is how I take it.”

It is hardly an ideal situation for Arsenal to be in with fans pining for a first Premier League title since 2004 – although it does open up opportunities for a fringe player to emerge from the shadows.

Myles Lewis-Skelly has already taken his chance in impressive fashion, as Nwaneri did too before his injury against Brighton.

Arsenal’s next five Premier League fixtures as Mikel Arteta aims to hunt down Liverpool and Arne Slot

If Arsenal are to close the gap on Liverpool, they will have to perform better than they did against Brighton with some tough fixtures on the horizon.

As you can see, the Gunners embark on a north London derby against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium when next in Premier League action, before another tough test awaits when Aston Villa visit north London.

Then, two away days in the Midlands at Molineux and the King Power Stadium sandwich a clash against Manchester City, who will surely be eager to show Arsenal why they are the reigning champions of England despite an indifferent season.