SETTABLOID

William Saliba is absent from the Arsenal matchday squad to face Aston Villa today due to hamstring tightness.

Replacing him in the starting XI at centre-back alongside Gabriel Magalhaes is Jurrien Timber with Thomas Partey moved to right-back. Declan Rice will anchor the midfield as a result of that with Mikel Merino and captain Martin Odegaard just ahead of him.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is in at left-back, once again, while Gabriel Martinelli makes a starting return ahead of Raheem Sterling with Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard both keeping their places. The absence of Saliba is certainly a huge concern, however, though Timber is a more than capable replacement.

Despite that, another injury blow has seen Arteta’s squad depleted further with Riccardo Calafiori also still missing. Bukayo Saka is therefore their only current long-term injury absentee after Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu were spotted at London Colney stepping up their respective injury recoveries.

Saka, meanwhile, will be away from the club’s training ground as Arteta confirmed he would be going on holiday. “Yes, he needs to,” replied Arteta when asked by reporters if Saka should take time off. “He is obligated to go, with his girlfriend, or his family, or on his own, he can choose.

“He needs to get away for a few days and refresh. He can still do a lot of things with his rehabilitation because it is the perfect stage. It will make him better.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has urged Bukayo Saka to time off while he recovers from a serious hamstring injury – insisting the winger needs time to “refresh”

Saka, 23, is set to be sidelined until March after he sustained a hamstring injury in the Gunners’ 5-1 win over Crystal Palace in December.

Since undergoing surgery at the end of last month, the England international has been recovering alongside his team-mates at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground.

Arteta, though, has urged the forward to take a few days off for a holiday as he believes it will benefit Saka’s rehabilitation.

Young Arsenal defender Maldini Kacurri has not been included in Saturday’s Premier League 2 squad for a game away to Fulham. The decision has heightened fears that regular first-team centre-back William Saliba could miss the evening’s clash with Aston Villa.

Saliba was not seen in training pictures posted on Friday, sparking concern that he will not be fit enough to be involved at the Emirates Stadium. The Frenchman played 90 minutes against Tottenham on Wednesday night.

Mikel Arteta has been working with an increasingly threadbare squad in recent weeks owing to yet more injuries. Gabriel Jesus is the latest man to be ruled out for a significant period of time. His season could be over after going off with a knee problem against Manchester United last weekend.

Arsenal’s substitutes bench against Spurs included young duo Ismeal Kabia and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji. Neither player has been selected to feature for the Under-21s in a hint that they will, once more, be with the senior side.

Kacurri made his debut for the first-team earlier this year – coming from the substitutes bench in the Carabao Cup third-round win over Bolton Wanderers. He was also named as a substitute against Crystal Palace last month in the same competition, but he’s yet to play in the Premier League.

He was picked as back-up three times earlier in the season, but has not made a senior breakthrough as yet. The 19-year-old Albanian has been a regular for academy matches.

Kacurri has trained under Arteta with the senior players previously, first doing so in 2022 as a 17-year-old. He moved from the Fulham academy earlier that year and is a youth international for his country.

Arsenal know that if results go their way this weekend they could be just one point off Liverpool at the top of the table. Meanwhile, a gap to third-placed Nottingham Forest could also end up being five points.

Arsenal are exploring the transfer market for new signings and manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed the same in multiple press conferences.

With the ongoing injury crisis, a new striker and winger could be prioritised, but marquee signings could be difficult to pursue this winter.

In that case, Arsenal could consider cost-effective options with Premier League experience. Brentford’s Yoane Wissa is on their radar.

The DR Congo international has had a fine campaign with the Bees. He has registered 12 goals and two assists across all competitions.

11 of those goals have come in the Premier League from 18 appearances with an exceptional shot-to-goal conversion rate of 26 percent.

Arsenal’s interest in the 28-year-old has been confirmed by The Telegraph, and we won’t be surprised if they make a late swoop for his services.

The former Lorient man has played as a striker for the Bees this campaign, but he can comfortably operate from the left and right-wing roles.

His versatility could be a big reason behind the Gunners’ interest. We believe he could emerge as a shrewd signing just like Leandro Trossard.

Trossard was signed from Brighton & Hove Albion in January 2023 after the Gunners missed out on a big-money move for Mykhailo Mudryk.

The decision was rather forced on them, but it has proved dividends with 38 goal involvements in almost 100 appearances across all competitions.

Wissa won’t be a big-name signing for Arsenal, but his finishing skills would provide an upgrade on a misfiring Kai Havertz in the number nine role.

Arsenal have just two weeks remaining of the 2025 January transfer window – and it’s now or never in their search for a striker.

The Gunners desperately need some attacking recruits following Gabriel Jesus’ long-term injury. And it appears that work on getting a new forward is ongoing.

A number of Europe’s most in-form strikers have already been linked with moves to the Emirates Stadium. And we’ll find out very shortly whether they put pen to paper on transfers to Arsenal.

Away from attack, Mikel Arteta’s side have also been linked with a whole host of other players. Take a look at all of the latest transfer news and rumours from North London right here:

Gyokeres issue arises

One of the forwards linked with a move to Arsenal this month has been Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres. Previous reports suggested that Arteta had given his approval to Arsenal activating the £83m release clause written into the forward’s contract with the Portuguese giants.

But a Premier League rival is doing all they can to derail a deal. As per The Independent, Manchester United are still hopeful of securing Gyokeres services.

It is suggested that they are optimistic that their positive relationship with Sporting and the chance to work with Ruben Amorim once again will be enough to push a move through. However, the Red Devils cannot afford his signature as it stands so will have to shelve a swoop until the summer for now.

Sesko agent cools rumours

The agent of Benjamin Sesko has claimed that his client is NOT set to join Arsenal on loan this January. It was previously suggested that the Slovenian hitman could make a temporary switch to the Emirates before a blockbuster permanent move.

Arsenal will be aiming for back-to-back Premier League wins when they host Aston Villa this evening.

The Gunners registered a 2-1 comeback triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in midweek. They dominated proceedings and should have won the derby by a bigger scoreline.

Manager Mikel Arteta could make a couple of changes against Unai Emery’s side today.

Formation: 4-3-3

Predicted Line-up:

David Raya had another solid game in goal against Spurs. He made a crucial save to deny Dejan Kulusevski but was beaten by Heung-min Son due to a big deflection. The Spaniard is guaranteed to start between the sticks.

In the backline, no changes are on the cards. Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori are back in training, but the game could come too soon for the duo. Jurrien Timber is expected to start at right-back.

The same can be said for Myles Lewis-Skelly on the opposite end. The Gunners graduate had a stand-out performance versus Spurs. He completed 94 percent of his passes with six recoveries and three tackles.

William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are nailed-on starters in the heart of the defence.

In midfield, Arteta could opt for a solitary change. Thomas Partey could make way for Jorginho in the number six role. The £45 million signing had a mixed performance in the north London derby.

He was dribbled past on a couple of occasions and was guilty of losing possession multiple times. The midfielder also made an error which contributed to a shot on goal from Spurs.

Jorginho is likely to replace the Ghanaian star. Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard could start in front of him from the central midfield roles. Further forward, Raheem Sterling may be dropped.

Sterling had a good passing accuracy against Spurs, but he kept things safe. Aside from his early counter-attacking run, he provided no goalscoring threat before his substitution.

He could make way for Gabriel Martinelli, whose pace could be key to outclassing Villa’s backline.

The Brazilian should start on the right wing. Leandro Trossard is guaranteed to keep his place on the left side of the attack following his sublime goal to beat Spurs on Wednesday night.

Kai Havertz has been in poor form leading the line but remains the main striker with Gabriel Jesus out injured for the long term. The German needs to step up with a goalscoring return.

How Arsenal could line up vs Aston Villa