Mikel Arteta has refused to rule his captain Martin Odegaard out of Sunday’s huge north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur.
Midfielder Odegaard suffered a potentially serious ankle injury while playing for Norway during the international break.
But Arsenal are awaiting confirmation of the full extent of the problem leaving Arteta reluctant to definitively say just yet whether or not playmaker Odegaard will be involved against Spurs.
Arteta said: “We need some more tests so let’s see what happens in the next day or so, this afternoon probably, and see what happens, what the extent of the injury is and how quickly we can get him back. He’s super positive about everything. We know Martin - he wants to be there every single day but we have to wait and see.
“I'll leave that to the doctor [whether the injury is as bad as first feared or not] but he's willing, there's no question about that. He wants to be present every game and obviously in a big game like this one, but we need to make sure that we know first of all how good he can be or not.
“Players with 48 hours to go are always available but let's see what happens.”
Arteta is hopeful striker Gabriel Jesus will be available to face Spurs and is also giving defender Riccardo Calafiori more time before deciding whether he can be part of Arsenal’s derby plans following a leg injury that forced him out of Italy squad during the break.
But midfield is an area of concern for Arsenal ahead of the trip to Spurs.
Declan Rice is suspended after his red card against Brighton & Hove Albion and new signing Mikel Merino is also out after fracturing his shoulder in his first training session following his move from Real Sociedad last month.
Opportunity for Nwaneri?
Arsenal’s issues could open the door for some of their academy prospects, such as Ethan Nwaneri, who became the Premier League’s youngest player aged 15 years and 181 days in 2022 against Brentford, to be involved against Spurs.
“It’s the situation that we have, we have to face it, use the opportunities – the young kids have given us a lot of hope and right reasons as well to count on them, and we need to do it for sure.”
Will Sterling will be involved?
In contrast to the likes of Nwaneri, Arteta could hand a debut to Deadline Day signing Raheem Sterling, who made a surprise loan move to Arsenal from Chelsea.
“He looks great!” Arteta said of the 29-year-old. “First of all, because he’s got a big smile on his face, a lot of energy. He’s at it and wants to prove a point. When someone has got that in their belly, you sense it straight away.
“His commitment, the level of energy that he’s bringing to the team, and the quality is a big boost. You can feel that in the players as well when he walked through the door, we are better with him. He’s going to make us better.”
Arteta himself handed Arsenal a huge boost by signing a new three-year contract, a deal that further strengthens his ties to the club he played for and has managed since December 2019.
He said: “No [there is not another club or country he would have left for], this is the emotional attachment that I have and that my family has, my kids have, the experience that I have and the involvement with the people. It’s too strong.”
Asked if he could build a legacy at Arsenal like former manager Arsene Wenger, Arteta said: “Hopefully yes, but you’re talking about the best in the history of football, certainly in this country.
“My aim and motivation is to be the best version of myself, the best coach in the world ever for Arsenal.”
The more immediate priority for Arteta and Arsenal this weekend is a third successive win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
All in, Arteta has won five of his nine derbies as an Arsenal manager against their biggest rivals and, reflecting on his best memories, he said: “Probably afterwards, especially when you win at home and you celebrate with your supporters and you know how much it means.
“It’s something special and we have so many huge Arsenal supporters since the day that they were born and looking at our staff, we have some good examples around the first team as well.
“They come in after the game and you can see the emotion and what it means for them. It’s a privilege to have the power to contribute to making someone really happy.”
Respect for one another
Arteta also spoke of his admiration for opposite number Ange Postecoglou, describing Spurs’s head coach as “inspirational” due to his managerial journey, beliefs and faith in them.
And before hostilities between these two great rivals resume on the pitch, there was mutual respect from the managers off it.
Discussing what makes Arsenal so hard to play against, Postecoglou, who hopes to have striker Dominic Solanke and midfielder Yves Bissouma back along with defender Micky van de Ven, said: “The consistency in approach, in mentality. In the last two years in particular they’ve just had a real relentlessness about them.
“They haven’t had to change their team too much. There is a solid core that has carried them through and that gives you belief over time. They have this confidence in themselves that they can challenge over the course of a Premier League season.
“Their form over the last two years in totality has been outstanding. They’re going to be a tough nut to crack but it's a great opportunity for us to do that.”
