Arsenal look set to start the Premier League without three key players as Mikel Arteta’s plans go out the window while the Gunners are still involved in the transfer window
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Transfer update: Arsenal ‘plan’ player-plus-cash Maddison move
Arsenal have been hit by a triple injury blow that will affect the start of their Premier League season.
Mikel Arteta knows he cannot afford to let the Gunners go through another year of hurt after a shoddy campaign in 2020/21.
After finishing eighth in the table, it meant that the Emirates outfit would not play in Europe for the first time in 25 years.
But has not stopped optimism in the transfer window with several players being linked while Ben White, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga have joined.
However, Arsenal have been brought back down to earth with the news that three players will miss the start of the season.
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Key players Thomas Partey and Gabriel will not take part in the opening matches of the Premier League.
While back-up striker Eddie Nketiah will also be absent through an ankle injury which will see him miss four weeks.
The Englishman suffered the problem in a pre-season friendly against Chelsea, which Arsenal lost 2-1.
As for Partey, he also sustained a similar injury in the same match and could be back in training in three weeks if all goes to plan.
Gabriel has been with the Brazil squad at the Olympics where he has helped them win gold following a 2-1 win over Spain in the final.
But the defender was injured during their run, suffering a knee problem and is currently being assessed.
Arsenal have not given a timeframe on the former Lille star’s progress but there is optimism that he could be back in the next few weeks.
Regardless, it leaves the Gunners with some big dents in their squad in two positions Arteta has been keen to bolster.
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White and Lokonga will be able to stand in but who will partner them at the back remains to be seen.
It comes amid Arsenal’s chase for James Maddison, who has been priced at £70m by Leicester.
But former Tottenham striker Darren Bent reckons Arteta must look elsewhere this transfer window with other areas of the squad needing more attention.
He told talkSPORT: “[Maddison] is a fantastic player. I’d love to see him in an Arsenal shirt, but I believe there’s other positions that are probably more important than maybe getting that playmaker,” the pundit said.
“We’ve just seen [Emile] Smith Rowe, who was brilliant last season, signing a new contract. “We’ve still got [Bukayo] Saka there too.
“Of course you want good players in, and Madison is a very good player, but maybe another central midfielder?
“Maybe a right-back? A right-back would be important.”
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