Mikel Arteta had an unlikely bit of bad news for Arsenal fans on Thursday night.
The Gunners boss confirmed that the much-maligned Shkodran Mustafi would not be fit to face Chelsea in the FA Cup final next month.
Normally this wouldn’t be the worst news, because Mustafi has been a bombscare for most of his Arsenal career.
But the Germany international has been exceptional alongside David Luiz in recent weeks, playing a vital role in huge wins over Liverpool and Manchester City.
It’s definitely not a good thing that he won’t be available for Arsenal on Saturday week, but that could make Arteta finally recall Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
The big Greek defender, an £18 million signing by Sven Mislintat two years ago, hasn’t kicked a ball for the Emirates Stadium club since football resumed on June 18.
He has made the bench on a number of occasions, but now is the time for Arteta to start him.
The Spaniard will be tempted to put Rob Holding alongside Luiz against the Blues, but the truth is that Sokratis is the better, more experienced defender and with Mustafi out, it’s the former Borussia Dortmund star who has to get taken in from the cold.
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