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Arteta provides triple injury boost ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Wolves

By on January 24, 2025

William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly

Arsenal travel to Wolves on Saturday afternoon and manager Mikel Arteta has provided an important injury and team news update at his pre-match press conference.

The Gunners are second in the league standings, six points behind leaders Liverpool, who still have a game in hand. With the title race heating up, a victory is essential for Arsenal to keep their hopes alive.

The team will aim to recover from last weekend’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Aston Villa, where they surrendered a two-goal lead. The result further dented their pursuit of the league title, making this clash even more significant.

Arteta Provides Injury Updates

Arteta has provided updates on three defenders ahead of the match and revealed positive news on Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly and William Saliba.

Youngster Lewis-Skelly, who missed the midweek game against Dinamo Zagreb, is set to return soon. There were fears he’d picked up an injury after feeling discomfort in his knee in training. Thankfully, Arteta has confirmed that scans showed there is ‘nothing serious’.

Lewis-Skelly will be given a late fitness test before his availability this weekend is determined.

 Myles Lewis-Skelly

Speaking about the 18-year-old, who has mostly played as a left-back this season despite being a midfielder, Arteta said:

With Myles there is nothing serious on the scan, so it’ll be a matter of having a meeting with the medical staff today. We have a training session, so we’ll see whether it’s too early or not”.

William Saliba

French international William Saliba, another key player, remains a doubt for the Wolves clash. Having missed both the Aston Villa game and the midweek fixture, his availability for this match remains uncertain. However, Saliba is expected to return next week with Arsenal facing Girona before the huge clash with Man City.

“With Wilo it’s something similar (to Myles Lewis-Skelly’s) as well. I think he’ll be in for next week but this week, let’s see how it goes.”

Ben White

Meanwhile, Ben White has been out of action since mid-November with a serious knee injury. While the English defender is progressing in his recovery, he has not resumed full training yet. Although he is nearing the next stage of his rehabilitation, Arteta is hoping to have the defender available again ‘pretty soon’.

“He hasn’t trained with the team yet, but I think he’s very close to doing that. He still needs to tick a few boxes in the next two or three days.

“If that’s going well and smoothly, I think he’ll be with us pretty soon.”

Arsenal’s ambitions for the title heavily depend on securing three points against Wolves. Dropping points would give Liverpool even more breathing room at the top, further complicating the Gunners’ challenge.

This match also provides an opportunity for Arsenal to regain confidence after recent setbacks. Wolves, however, are a resilient side and will not make things easy for Arteta’s men.

The Gunners must deliver a strong performance to stay in contention for the Premier League title. With several players on the verge of returning, Arteta will hope his team can hold their ground in this decisive period.