According to Football London, Granit Xhaka could not be seen at Arsenal training on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta put his troops through their paces ahead of the Gunners’ visit of Nottingham Forest this afternoon.
And it looks like the Arsenal midfielder was not visible in the latest training-ground images released by the North London outfit.
At least, that is what Football London claimed on Saturday.
If Xhaka is unavailable, it’s a massive blow for Arteta.
Arsenal need a victory to move back above Manchester City at the Premier League summit and simply put, winning is a lot more likely if Xhaka is available.
The Switzerland international has been nothing short of immense this season, being praised from pillar to post.
This season, Xhaka is looking like a far more mature and dangerous player.
He has, however, played 16 games across all competitions – starting 15 of them – since August and it’s possible that the 29-year-old is suffering from a touch of burnout.
Even without the former Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder, Arsenal should have enough to get past Steve Cooper’s side.
Yes, they beat Liverpool only last week, but Leeds United’s victory at Anfield last night ought to illustrate that besting the Reds isn’t that much of an achievement at the moment.
If Xhaka – labelled ‘sensational‘ by Kevin Campbell this week – is absent, Albert Sambi Lokonga is likely to deputise for the Swiss powerhouse.
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