In terms of injuries, Arsenal’s season has so far been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but as we enter the New Year it seems things are finally starting to pick up.
The Gunners boss has released all of the latest updates regarding a number of players recoveries, and it looks as if there’s some good news for the fans.
Arsenal host Sunderland at the weekend as they aim to retain the FA Cup for a third year running, all ahead of a busy January so having options to rotate will be key for Wenger’s side.
And although we look to be welcoming a couple of new names to the Emirates in this transfer window, having some of our current stars back will be a massive boost.
Team News
Following the 1-0 victory over Newcastle, Arsene Wenger has assured his side will be very similar this weekend, and hinted he could bring in a couple of youngsters.
There are no fresh injury concerns to deal with and instead he’ll be likely to use this game as a stop-gap rest period for Aaron Ramsey or Mesut Ozil.
Expect the likes of Alex Iwobi or Jeff Renne-Adelaide to appear against Sunderland, the duo having been making a name for themselves in the youth academy.
Mikel Arteta
Having already played 45 minutes for the Under 21’s 3-2 victory over Blackburn on Tuesday afternoon, Arteta is once again available.
The veteran midfielder however is running down to the end of his contract and looks as if he’ll struggle to play a full 90 minutes with the first team. He is in contention to start on Saturday given the inevitable rotation that we are likely to see.
Tomas Rosicky
The boss announced that Rosicky will be back in full training next week, and then won’t be too far away from making a return to selection proceedings.
But having suffered such a long spell out on the sidelines it’s going to take time for the 35-year-old to re-establish himself into a side that is flourishing. He won’t be in the squad this weekend.
Did you see? 7 Changes: JEFF Starts, How Arsenal Should Line-Up vs. Sunderland
Alexis Sanchez
On a bit of a negative note, there’s no chance of Alexis making an appearance this weekend after it was revealed he’d suffered a tiny setback and is not quite ready.
Instead, it’ll be a few more days for the Chilean international and we can expect him to make a stint as a substitute in the mid-week game against Liverpool.
Santi Cazorla
There was positive updates for the Spaniard who although is out for a long duration of time, could in fact be back slightly earlier than planned.
The boss stated that Cazorla does relatively well when recovering from injury, but assured he was a long way off from featuring in a Gunners jersey.
Francis Coquelin
Coquelin is also making steady progress, and with the right mindset it is believed he’ll come back stronger from this long-term setback.
With the likelihood of Mohamed Elneny’s deal being completed in the coming days, Coquelin will have some competition in the holding midfield area.
More: Arsenal should complete deal for long-term transfer target this month