Arsenal’s midfield crisis threatens to end Gunners’ Premier League title bid before its truly begun as Martin Odegaard joins Declan Rice and Mikel Merino on the sidelines

It happened with just over 20 minutes of normal time left in Norway’s Nations League victory over Austria. Martin Odegaard was involved in a clash with Christoph Baumgartner. Immediately, the signs were not good.

The Gunners skipper was soon writhing around on the ground in evident agony. And after receiving some treatment, he trotted off with tears streaming down his face. Norway manager Stale Solbakken’s post-match comments did little to lift the mood either.

“It looked bad in the dressing room too. He didn’t have the nerve to continue. It is not certain that Arteta will call me tonight and praise me,” he said.

Baumgartner did at least apologise for his challenge. “I would like to sincerely apologise to Martin Odegaard. It was never my intention to injure this fantastic player. I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery! Come back stronger,” he wrote on Instagram.

Once the reality of Odegaard’s injury began to set in, thoughts turned to just how long he would be out for. And the dearth of concrete information quickly led to a string of worst-case scenarios being dreamt up.

The principle concern was whether Odegaard had suffered a fracture, which might have left him sidelined for several months. Thankfully for Arteta, an update did eventually emerge in the form of a newspaper interview conducted by Norway’s team doctor just after the midfielder was pictured using crutches to board a private plane back to London.

“Such ankle injuries often take at least three weeks,” Ole Sand told VG. “Anything other than that is just a bonus and then it can take longer. What we have so far obtained from the MRI examination in London is that there is probably no fracture in the ankle. Arsenal are almost certain there is no breach, but this may still take some time. In the event of a fracture, we are talking about being out of action for six weeks-plus.”

So, even if the knock heals as quickly as possible, Odegaard is all but guaranteed to miss some of the Gunners’ biggest games of the season. On Sunday, they travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the North London Derby. After that, they kick-off their Champions League campaign against Atalanta. And then, on Sunday 22 September, they head off to the Etihad Stadium for the toughest of all Premier League tests.

Losing your midfield talisman for this intimidating trio of games is bad enough. However, it’s not just the quality of opposition to come that makes Odegaard’s absence so damaging. His injury has coincided with one of his possible replacements also falling foul of the injury curse.

Arsenal were patient in their pursuit of Mikel Merino, eventually confirming the €38.5m (£32.5m/$42.4m) deal a few days before the transfer window slammed shut. The destructive Spaniard might have played a part against Brighton, but was struck down by a freak accident in training.

“It’s unfortunate. He has a shoulder injury and it looks like he will be out for a few weeks. He landed on the floor and Gabi [Gabriel Magalhaes] landed on top of him, it’s a fracture probably,” Areta revealed.

Since then it’s emerged that the summer signing will likely be out until November, removing him from the running to replace Odegaard in the short-term.

To make matters even worse, Odegaard’s partner in crime, Declan Rice, will not even be able to pick up the slack against Tottenham this weekend. Although he navigated his way through England’s two Nations League games without suffering an injury, he is suspended for the derby clash after his controversial red card against Brighton before the international break.

The circumstances of his red card have been debated to death, but this doesn’t change the brutal reality Arteta has been left to deal with as a result. Not only is his most creative player missing against Spurs, Arsenal’s midfield engine will also be watching on from the stands.

That Rice played so well for his country, scoring and grabbing an assist against Ireland, will only rub salt into Arteta’s wounds. Now, the Gunners boss will have to get creative to solve his midfield crisis over the next few weeks.

It’s not all doom and gloom, of course. Jorginho showed last season that he remains a player for the big occasion, running the show in a 3-1 victory over Liverpool in February having barely played for months, as well as starring in wins over Newcastle and a stubborn Sevilla side. As a result, he’ll likely start as the deepest of a midfield three.

Riccardo Calafiori might have offered offered another option but, incredibly, he also suffered a freak injury on international duty, though Italy boss Luciano Spalletti has allayed fears that it is a serious knock.

Thomas Partey had been used in that No.6 role so far this season, but he should be comfortable enough pushing on into a more advanced position, with his goal in the statement win over Aston Villa in August showing that he can be influential further up the field.

Kai Havertz will then probably have to drop back into midfield. The German has been a seriously effective centre-forward for the Gunners in 2024, but necessity might dictate him returning to the middle. Even this would create knock-on problems for Arteta, though. Gabriel Jesus is still coming back from a fitness complaint of his own, so super-sub Leandro Trossard may need to be deployed as No.9.

If that starting XI tetris hadn’t made it clear already, Arteta has been dealt a extraordinarily challenging hand, with Arsenal being dealt a series of draining jabs as they look to keep their fledgling season on track. Three fearsome challenges away from home await – and if this new-look midfield fails to click from the outset, they will find themselves paddling against the tide to maintain their Premier League hopes.

This is a momentous few weeks for Arteta and a huge test of the newfound mettle Arsenal have developed over the past few seasons.

GOAL