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Mikel Arteta is confident Arsenal’s squad can continue to cope with injury setbacks after confirming Kai Havertz will not return for a few weeks.
The Germany striker has been absent since August after knee surgery and had been expected back at the start of this month. But Arteta said Havertz had been unable “to go to the next level” when he stepped up his rehabilitation and faced a longer spell on the sidelines.
That means the Arsenal manager must decide for Wednesday’s game at home to Brentford whether to stick with Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker after his goal against Chelsea on Sunday or recall Viktor Gyökeres after the Swede returned from a muscle injury as a substitute at Stamford Bridge. Gabriel Jesus is also in contention after 11 months out.
There are also doubts over whether William Saliba and Leandro Trossard will be fit after they missed the Chelsea game. The summer signings Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapié are likely to start in central defence again for the league leaders. Arteta believes the £250m spent on reinforcements in the most recent window has left Arsenal in a much stronger position to deal with the absences.
Asked whether greater squad depth was aiding their quest for the Premier League title, he said: “Yes, because this season has been worse in some areas, especially in the front line, and now what’s happening with the backline. We learned, and we were able to put together a squad that is much more reliable and has more options.
“We learned from the past as well that we have to use players in different positions, and they have to be able to fulfil different roles if we want to compete at this level. And the example of Mikel is just the best one, probably.”
The Germany manager, Julian Nagelsmann, said last month that Havertz had experienced a setback. Arteta said: “He was doing everything. He could not go to the next level and now it’s looking like we have unlocked that. We’re all desperate to have him. I mean, it’s a player that, personally, I love so much for what he brings to the team, but his character, his personality, I see him suffer being outside.
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“His playing record is phenomenal, he’s been always available and I can’t wait to have him back around the team playing because I think it’s going to be a massive boost.”
