Arsenal could be without five players for their Premier League clash against West Ham United according to injury expert, Ben Dinnery.
Mikel Arteta revealed that Reiss Nelson has suffered a “little issue” with it currently being unclear how long the winger will be out (The Evening Standard, 18 December).
According to Dinnery’s updated Premier injuries website, the Gunners will be without Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus for the fixture, with there still doubts over Emile Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu’s fitness for the clash at The Emirates.
Huge test
This will be a huge test of David Moyes’ side and will really display how much work has been going on behind the scenes during the World Cup break. The league leaders have been in imperious form this season and they will be looking to exploit the Hammers’ glaring weaknesses.
It’s likely the Scot will throw Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta back into contention, with ExWHUemployee suggesting the pair are set to be asked to feature (personal Twitter, 21 December). Moyes will be desperate for Rice to feature, with his side needing to pick up form to prevent further questions from being asked about his future.
It appears the club are sticking by him for the moment, however, if the poor run continues, a change of management cannot be ruled out. It’s certainly time for the likes of Gianluca Scamacca and Paqueta to really find their feet in the Premier League and demonstrate that they were worth the large transfer fees West Ham paid for them.
