Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli reportedly faces a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. The winger has become the latest victim of the Gunners’ injury woes, with Bukayo Saka also missing due to a similar problem.
Martinelli suffered the injury during Arsenal’s Carabao Cup semi-final defeat against Newcastle on Wednesday. The 23-year-old was withdrawn in the 37th minute of the cup clash at St. James’ Park.
According to The Athletic, early indications suggest Martinelli will miss a month of action. That will keep him out of several big games and leave Mikel Arteta’s attacking options stretched even further.
Martinelli could miss three crucial Premier League fixtures against Leicester, West Ham and Nottingham Forest. The north Londoners must embark on a winning run to stand any chance of making up the six-point gap with Liverpool, which could become nine if the Reds win the Merseyside derby next Wednesday.
If the Brazil international is out for any longer than a month, he could miss further top-flight fixtures against Manchester United and Chelsea. There is also the possibility that the Arsenal No. 11 sits out of their last-16 Champions League tie, with the first round of matches scheduled for March 4.
Arsenal lost Saka to a hamstring injury before Christmas and do not expect the England international to return before March. Gabriel Jesus will miss the remainder of the season with a serious ACL injury. Ethan Nwaneri replaced Martinelli against Newcastle and the 17-year-old could be braced for an extended run in the team.
Arteta had already bemoaned Arsenal’s lack of attacking options. The club failed to find any value in the January transfer market. Top targets Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko were out of their reach, with plans to sign a new centre-forward now delayed until the summer.
“We had a clear intention which is always there is a window open to explore the opportunities to improve our squad with players that can impact it,” Arteta said after the transfer window closed earlier this week.
“We haven’t achieved it so we are disappointed in that sense but as well we are very aware that we only want to bring certain kinds of players and we have to be very disciplined with that and I think we will.”
Arsenal have welcomed back Martin Odegaard, William Saliba and Gabriel from injuries over the past few weeks. Captain Odegaard’s minutes have been managed due to an ankle injury the Norway international suffered at the start of the campaign.
Defenders Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are absent with separate knee injuries. Both could return later this month in a welcome boost for Arteta.
