AS Viktor Gyokeres fell to his knees clutching the back of his head with blood pouring out, the camera panned to a grimacing Mikel Arteta.
Bandaged up and looking like a bad Terry Butcher impersonator, the big Swede played on in Bilbao before being brought off as a precaution in the 65th minute for Leandro Trossard.
AFPViktor Gyokeres suffered a nasty head injury against Bilbao on Tuesday[/caption]
Trossard would go on to score the second in Arsenal’s 2-0 Champions League opener win after Gabriel Martinelli snatched the opener 36 seconds after coming off the bench.
Job done, but a stark reminder that for all their summer incomings costing them around £250m, Arsenal and Arteta are one injury away from another striker crisis.
The Gunners have so far coped well without the crocked Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, and have got by with Martin Odegaard, William Saliba and Ben White missing a few games.
But should Gyokeres join that cramped medical room too, then Arsenal would be back in the position they were towards the end of last season – without a No.9 and being forced to turn to make-shift players like winger Trossard or midfielder Mikel Merino.
It is an unthinkable situation given the work the club did to build such an impressive squad this summer, but it could be the reality with the growing list of walking wounded.
Following the 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest last weekend, Arteta said: “We already lost Kai for three or four months”.
We do not know whether Arteta meant three or four months from the moment he had his knee operation on August 28, or three or four months from now.
But if what Arteta claimed is true – and it must be taken with a pinch of salt as the Spaniard is not always completely truthful with injury timelines – then Arsenal could be without Havertz until November, or even December.
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If that is the case, then Gyokeres will need to lead the line without any injuries and without much rest for some time, when he is still getting to grips with the Premier League and its gruelling physical demands.
This would be a lot to ask of him, but a prospect he may have to face. You would hope that is not needed for next week’s Carabao Cup third-round trip to Port Vale with someone like Trossard or Merino able to fill in against a League One outfit.
The most games Gyokeres has ever played in his senior career in all competitions is 52. He is on course to smash that if he continues to feature in nearly every game.
Should Arsenal reach the final of all four major competitions they are involved in this season, that is a staggering 65 games, especially when considering there will be international games added into that before the biggest World Cup in history next summer.
So, perhaps it is right for Arteta to be cautious with Havertz and not rush him back, even if that means Gyokeres plays more than anticipated in these opening months of the season.
If Havertz is rushed back and has any sort of set-back, the burden on Gyokeres would be huge, and potentially defining in the Prem title race.
GettyMikel Arteta will be cautious of an injury crisis[/caption]
CUT ABOVE THE REST
SPEAKING of bloody injuries, Mikel Merino also suffered a nasty cut to the top of his head in the closing stages of their European trip to Bilbao.
He appeared to have some vaseline put on it by the medics on the pitch before carrying on.
Arteta said of both Gyokeres and Merino post-match: “I haven’t spoken to them but I think they’re all good.”
The severity of Merino’s cut was on show when he came into the mixed zone to speak to the media after the game, with a small trickle of blood still pouring from it.
But he was in good spirits previewing Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday. These players are made of strong stuff.
GettyMikel Merino also suffered a knock to the head[/caption]
HE’S A KEPA
SUNSPORT understands that Kepa Arrizabalaga was unsure of the reception he would get when returning to his former club Athletic Bilbao with Arsenal.
The Spaniard left Bilbao for Chelsea in 2018 for £71.6m — still the world record paid for a goalkeeper – after two full seasons and 54 games played in all competitions.
But the only time he had previously played against Bilbao was when he was on loan at Real Valladolid in the 2015/16 campaign, keeping two clean sheets in 1-0 wins home and away in the Spanish second division.
He never got the chance to do so when he was at Real Madrid on loan in 2023/24, featuring just 14 times to cover for the injured Thibaut Courtois.
So running out at Bilbao’s San Mames stadium for the warm-up in mid-week was a whole new experience with No.1 David Raya keeping his place in the starting XI.
From what was seen and heard from the press box, there were no boos and jeers and Kepa was given a fairly neutral response by a set of fans who do not often treat their former returning players with much grace or respect.
SunSport also had the chance to chat to a few Bilbao officials before the game where Nico Williams was inevitably brought up having been linked to the Gunners and Barcelona this summer before he signed a new 10-year deal in July.
He didn’t play against Arsenal due to injury, but watched on from the stands, and we got the impression that a move to North London was never truly on the cards.
GettyKepa Arrizabalaga returned to Bilbao with the Gunners[/caption]
UP FOR KEEPS
ARTETA was very animated in the press conference previewing the Forest win last week when asked about his decision to replace Aaron Ramsdale with David Raya in the 2023/24 season.
Ahead of Raya’s 100th game for the club in all competitions – keeping his 42nd clean sheet in the 3-0 win – Arteta laughed: “I was hammered when I brought him!”
Arteta went on to explain that he knew it was coming because of the fact that Ramsdale was a well-liked English player, and that he understands the “context” around how fans in this country develop a real love for those from their own shores.
Raya joked pre-Bilbao that he had to act “deaf” to keep out all the noise surrounding Ramsdale’s departure, but has proven the doubters wrong since.
It is perhaps a welcome warning to Arteta should he ever have to do the same to another English talent in his squad any time soon.
There are already a few murmurs about Myles Lewis-Skelly being benched for Riccardo Calafiori so far this season, Declan Rice has not had his best start this term and Bukayo Saka faces a fight to win back his spot on the right wing when he recovers from injury after Noni Madueke’s impressive displays there.
Mikel Arteta joked about his decision to buy David Raya last weekGetty
DOW ABOUT THAT
THERE was a surprise showing from the Arsenal academy in Bilbao to watch the game – the club’s U19s.
What looked to be the majority of the squad – including 17-year-old keeper Jack Porter – were in a bundle of seats near the press box, having played Bilbao’s U19s earlier that day in a 3-1 loss.
They would have been keeping a sharp eye on their fellow academy pals who have been promoted to the first team, including 15-year-old Max Dowman who was an unused sub.
Had Dowman come on, he would have become the youngest-ever player in Champions League history, taking the record currently held by Borussia Dortmund’s Yousouffa Moukoko, who was 16 years and 18 days old when he first played in the competition.
Dowman still has plenty of time to seize yet another record, and what an inspiration he must be for those U19s and the rest of the academy to try and do the same.
Max Dowman was an unused substitute against BilbaoGetty Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
