Arsenal suffer potentially season-defining Xhaka injury

Arsenal left the Emirates Stadium on Sunday with beaming smiles, with the only drawback from the resounding 3-1 win over Tottenham being the injury sustained to Granit Xhaka.

Mikel Arteta claimed it didn’t look good from the initial diagnosis, one that reports from Switzerland stated would keep the midfielder out for between 6-8 weeks.

Having just returned from a suspension following his red card against Manchester City, Xhaka was thrust straight back into the lineup for the North London Derby and put in a solid display following his absence alongside Thomas Partey.

Forced off with less than ten minutes to go, Arsenal held back on providing their length for the Swiss’ absence, one they have now revealed to be even worse than initially predicted.

Arsenal suffer potentially season-defining Granit Xhaka knee injury with midfielder set to miss the remainder of 2021 for Mikel Arteta’s side

A statement on the official club website read:

"“Further to injuring his right knee during Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, assessments and scans have confirmed that Granit Xhaka suffered a significant injury to his medial knee ligament.“A specialist consultation took place in London on Tuesday evening which has determined that Granit does not require surgery.“Granit’s recovery and rehabilitation programme will start immediately and we are aiming for him to be back in action in approximately three months.“Everyone at the club will now be supporting and working hard with Granit to get him back on the pitch as soon as possible.”"

With September all but over, it means the 28-year-old looks set to miss the rest of 2021, including the hectic Christmas schedule where depth in midfield is utterly paramount.

It’s a gigantic blow to Arsenal whether or not personal opinion is that Xhaka should in the starting lineup or whether Albert Sambi Lokonga should be starting in his stead. Or, even, whether Arteta should stick to the 4-1-4-1 formation he adopted prior to the midfielder’s return.

There is scope for this to be season-defining. If other other injuries strike, particularly to Thomas Partey, Arsenal will be up the proverbial creek without a paddle. As a starting lineup this team is still very strong, but it’s one key midfield injury away from being anything but.

Conversely, it can be season-defining as the months without Xhaka could spell the end of the Swiss long-term. If Sambi excels, or the single pivot does, even Arteta won’t be able to revert to old ways.

So much now rests on the exciting young Sambi and Partey maintaining his fitness, with the even longer length of Xhaka’s absence leaving that area of the park extremely thin for the coming three months.