Another defensive injury increases January transfer necessity

Morning all.

It’s a bit mad to think that after spending so much during the summer, and bolstering the squad in a really substantial and comprehensive way, Arsenal might need to do some January business. The initial reporting is that Ben White is set to miss a month with a hamstring strain he picked up on Saturday evening, and with Gabriel and Cristhian Mosquera also sidelined, we’re running low on defenders.

White’s absence means a heavy burden immediately falls on Jurrien Timber at right-back, and there’s not a lot of cover at centre-half right now. Mikel Arteta said it was a ‘risk’ to play William Saliba for 90 minutes against Wolves, and I have say I thought his team selection invited further risk which, unfortunately, saw White pick up that hamstring strain.

I do think it’s important to acknowledge that he is making decisions based on far more comprehensive information than any of us, but I did wonder why Myles Lewis-Skelly didn’t start at left-back on Saturday. That would have meant Timber, who missed out in midweek because of a kick, could have started on the other side, and minimised the risk of having to play Saliba for the full game because White could have been introduced as a second half sub for either one of those two.

With just 71 minutes of Premier League football to his name, and some minutes in Europe and the EFL Cup, White then played two consecutive 90s against Brentford and Villa, and a further 83 minutes against Club Brugge. The 263 minutes he did inside a week came close to doubling his entire playing for the entire season leading up to that (303′ in all competitions). Again, I know the manager has more information, but when he says, ‘We were buying tickets for another injury, but we don’t have anybody else’, he’s using his own credit card to make that purchase.

I’ve seen people make the case that Christian Norgaard ought to have started at centre-half against Wolves, which I don’t necessarily agree with. We played so poorly on Saturday it’s a decision that would probably have been seized upon as a key ingredient for that, perhaps even classified as arrogant. Hindsight is always 20/20 though, and as I said, I think a back four of Timber, Saliba, Piero Hincapie, and MLS would have been a better choice. It felt to me like this was more about seeing the Ecuardorian at left-back than anything else, and to some extent I understand it, but not when it increases the risk of injury to others.

Anyway, we don’t know when Gabriel is back exactly, and we’re now in a situation where we have to resist the temptation to risk him earlier than we might like. Mosquera remains some weeks away, and White is just starting his recovery and probably won’t be around until the new year. That then adds to the workload of everyone else and, as Arteta spoke about last week, the ‘dangerous circle’ of injury is going to be something we have to contend with.

The return of Riccardo Calafiori from suspension obviously adds to the numbers, but Arteta will have to consider his team selections very carefully. Norgaard isn’t a defender, but a makeshift defensive option in emergencies. I suspect the fact that Arsenal allowed Club Brugge 18 shots with a centre-half pairing of Norgaard and Hincapie gave the manager pause for thought when it came to using them together in the Premier League. 16 year old Marli Salmon might well find himself closer to first team action too, in the same way injuries opened doors for Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri last season, that might come to pass here, but I do think the physical power of so many Premier League players makes it more complicated to throw in a young defender who still has growing to do. Lewis-Skelly was 18, still young, but those two years make a difference.

So, if there are any other injuries, there might well be a need to dip into the market in January. Quite what we might do, whether it’s a loan (which means you’re not always picking from the cream of the crop), or a dip into a smaller market for a younger player who might have the potential to come in without too much complication, remains to be seen. But if Andrea Berta isn’t on his toes and at least preparing some options, I’d be quite surprised.

I know Arteta has spoken often and at length about our injury record in recent seasons. I know this isn’t something they’re unaware of and that a lot of work has gone into trying to improve things, but to me it feels like the one thing that will absolutely undermine a title challenge. Form can dip here and there during a season, that’s normal, and I think Saturday was certainly a blip in that sense. But if you’re always scrambling, always trying to catch your own tail when it comes to injuries, you make life so much harder for yourself.

All I want for Christmas is a clean bill of health, as the Mariah Carey classic goes. Come on Santa, dig around in your sack for one of those, you beardy old prick.

Right, I’ll leave it there. You can join us later on Patreon for an episode of The 30 looking back at all the weekend’s Premier League action, including last night’s crazy 4-4 draw at Old Trafford. For now, have a good one.