Mikel Arteta gives injury update as Arsenal legend questions manager's verdict
Arsenal have a race against time when it comes to the fitness of several senior stars as they prepare to take on Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Gunners are one of four unbeaten sides after six weeks of the season, having picked up four wins and two draws. Manager Mikel Arteta will be keen for a repeat of last season's trip to the Vitality Stadium, when two goals from Martin Odegaard and one from William Saliba gave the London side a 3-0 victory.
Saliba is among the players who might not be fit to start on the south coast as Arteta's injury list grows. That's just one of the latest updates as Mirror Football brings you the news from north London.
Injury latest before Bournemouth
Arsenal will be made to sweat on several stars as they prepare to face Bournemouth. William Saliba is the latest worry after a setback kept him out of the midweek Carabao Cup trip to Brentford.
"Let’s see how everybody is today. They weren’t selected," Arteta said of Saliba and team-mate Fabio Vieira. "They weren’t fit enough to be in the squad [against Brentford] - that’s it. My hope is that everybody is fit and available. We need them."
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Arteta had addressed Bukayo Saka's fitness earlier in the week, saying "hopefully it's not something big," after the 22-year-old failed to finish the 2-2 draw with Tottenham. "We are confident. He's still uncomfortable, obviously he had to leave the pitch and that's never a good sign for a player like him, but hopefully he will progress in the next few days. It's a tough one."
Havertz struggles addressed
Kai Havertz has yet to hit top gear since joining Arsenal, and manager Arteta was asked again about the German ahead of Saturday's game. Former Chelsea star Havertz hasn't scored a competitive goal for Arsenal, but he did score for his old club against Bournemouth last season.
How will Arsenal get on against Bournemouth? Have your say in the comments section
Kai Havertz is still waiting for his first competitive goal for Arsenal (Matt Impey/REX/Shutterstock)“Trying to help him as much as possible," was Arteta's response when asked how he can get the best out of the 24-year-old. "Be next to him, give him the tools, confidence and minutes to exploit his talent.
"There are so many parts to his game that he is doing exceptionally well and we know he has to keep improving. As with any player, give him support, you see a player that does what he does every single day and applies himself. If they don’t perform, it’s up to us.”
Merson disagrees with Arteta
Former Arsenal star Paul Merson has questioned Arteta's assessment of Fabio Vieira's quality. Vieira faced a steep learning curve in his first Arsenal season but has shown more of his quality this term.
"I was so confident that Arsenal would win [against Spurs] but when I saw the teams, I was majorly worried. Jesus on the wing, Nketiah up front, Fabio Vieira - I don't think he's good enough. Then Declan Rice comes off and Jorginho comes on," Merson told Sky Sports.
"It wasn't Arsenal's strongest team, but when you think about the Champions League and all the games they have to play, it looked a bit weak on Sunday, didn't it? Now, if Arsenal lose against Manchester City on October 8, they will be out of the title race. They would be seven points behind.
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"Arsenal wouldn't catch Man City if there were 600 games left if City had a seven-point head start. You just can't make that up, as from then Arsenal would only have one game against City and it would be away. That game at the Emirates is a huge match, it's make or break already."
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