Arsenal’s Thomas Partey hope as Mikel Arteta’s squad returns ahead of Bournemouth
Hello everyone. With the international break now firmly in the rear view mirror once again, all ayes turn to Saturday and Arsenal’s trip to Bournemouth in the Premier League.
It’s the start of another big week for Mikel Arteta’s side, with a home game against Shakhtar Donetsk to come on Tuesday night before Liverpool head to the Emirates the following weekend.
It’s been another difficult international break for Arsenal, with Bukayo Saka having to return home early from the England camp due to a suspected hamstring injury and Gabriel Martinelli picking up a calf problem while he was away with Brazil.
The squad is all back together now at London Colney, with Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes returning today having arrived back from South America via private jet on Wednesday.
It remains to be seen whether Martinelli will be available to feature against Bournemouth on Saturday, that will be a decision that will be taken following Friday afternoon’s training session.
As far as I’m aware, however, there was no great concern at Arsenal about the calf problem he picked up while he was away with Brazil. Following conversations they had with the Brazilian medical staff earlier in the week, they were quite comfortable to allow the winger to stay with the national squad and fly home on Wednesday as scheduled.
Elsewhere, there is a hope that both Thomas Partey and Kai Havertz will be with the squad for Saturday’s game. Both withdrew from their national team squads during the international break, but that was more down to precaution that anything else and the expectation is that they will be passed fit to make the trip to the south coast.
Arteta will hold his pre-match press conference on Friday morning where he will no doubt be pushed for updates on the Martinelli, Saka, Havertz and Partey, as well as what progress has been made by the likes of Jurrien Timber, Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who were all absent due to injury prior to the international break.
I imagine Arteta will give little away, however, especially when it comes to Martinelli and Saka. Knowing the Arsenal boss as I do, he will want to leave Bournemouth guessing until as late as possible over the involvement of both his star wingers.