Well, the Arsenal injury news certainly appears to be getting dramatically brighter.
During the Gunners’ 3-0 victory at Bournemouth on Saturday, Mikel Arteta had the luxury of bringing two injured players into the fold eventually.
Takehiro Tomiyasu and Emile Smith Rowe both received a little more minutes in the tank after beginning the 2022-23 campaign on the sidelines, while Fabio Vieira, a summer signing from Porto, was also named on Arteta’s bench.
Ben White has been deputising for the Japan international – who’s only started five league outings this calendar year – at right-back over the past three Premier League encounters.
And although Lee Dixon, a legendary right-back in North London, has admitted that White – normally a central defender – is doing an adequate job, he would prefer a specialist in the form of Tomiyasu long term – even if the injury-prone player is ‘made of biscuits’.
He said to NBC Sport of the £15.5 million signing from last summer: “I would prefer a specialist but he [White] is a good footballer. He’s got a lot to learn defensively but he’s more than capable of playing there. There’s no doubt about that. I like Tomiyasu but obviously he’s made of biscuits at the moment. He keeps breaking.”
One massive problem for Arsenal last season was a lack of depth in the squad, culminating in their fifth-placed finish.
But when you’re winning 3-0 in the Premier League and have the likes of Tomiyasu, Smith Rowe and Vieira on the bench then, well, it’s safe to say that the Spanish manager and Edu have improved the squad dramatically.
With the Arsenal injury news looking a lot more optimistic, you have to wonder how much better Arteta’s side can get this season.
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