Mikel Arteta conceded Arsenal are “a little bit short” in attack and suggested they could make a play for a forward before Friday’s transfer deadline after Gabriel Jesus sustained a groin injury. Jesus, who missed Saturday’s 2-0 win at Aston Villa, will undergo an MRI scan which will determine the extent of his injury, raising doubts over Eddie Nketiah’s proposed £30m move to Nottingham Forest.
Arteta said the Premier League has “gone to another level again” and suggested Arsenal may need to strengthen to ensure they can compete for the title. “We are really happy with the squad,” the manager said. “It’s true we had an injury with Gabriel Jesus and we missed him. We are a little bit short and if we can do something then we will do it.
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“Unfortunately on Thursday in the training session just at the end he [Jesus] felt something in his groin. We need to assess him, we need an MRI scan to see. He was not available for the game. We have to see, probably tomorrow or Monday we will have the results. If it is a matter of days or weeks, we don’t know.”
Nketiah stayed on the bench as second-half goals from the substitute Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey maintained Arsenal’s 100% start to the season at Villa Park. Villa did the double over Arsenal last season, severely damaging their title hopes, and Arteta needed individuals to thrive to earn victory. Trossard struck two minutes after replacing Gabriel Martinelli, scoring with his first touch, before which David Raya superbly denied the Villa striker Ollie Watkins in front of the watching England interim manager, Lee Carsley.
Watkins also shot wide in the first half with Raya’s goal gaping. Asked whether a match-sharp Watkins would have taken his chances, Unai Emery, the Villa manager, replied: “We created very good chances, clear chances, he had those chances, but the most important thing is to create chances. Normally, they will be goals in the future but I can’t tell him anything for it.”
Raya played down the heroic nature of his save to thwart Watkins, his former Brentford teammate. “It was a crucial moment in the game where it was 0-0 and they had chances,” the Arsenal goalkeeper said. “I just see Ollie going in there [to head the ball] so I reacted as quickly as possible and put my hand there. It’s just a repetition of things. You do drills and have to save one ball and get up to save another. This time it paid off. This is a reaction one, I don’t think it’s my best save. I try to help the team as much as possible to win games.”
