Arsenal now face 'big blow' over £460k-a-week duo at the Emirates

In partnership with

GiveMeSport

·2 October 2023

Arsenal now face 'big blow' over £460k-a-week duo at the Emirates

Highlights

Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus may be out of contention for upcoming games, which could be a big blow to the team.
Journalist Paul Brown suggests that Kai Havertz's recent goal could help alleviate the loss of Saka and Jesus, as it may spur him on to keep scoring.
Arsenal is reportedly working to extend Ben White's contract, as he has been performing impressively for the team and has become a fan favorite.

Play Video

Arsenal stars Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus may not be certainties to start the upcoming games and while providing an update to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Paul Brown name-dropped one star that could step up to the plate if the duo were to be absent.

OneFootball Videos

The Premier League side enriched the squad over the summer by introducing four new faces to the fold and, in return, spent around the £204m mark, according to Transfermarkt.

Despite the common consensus being that Mikel Arteta’s men are not performing to the standard they managed last term, they – alongside Tottenham Hotspur – remain unbeaten in the Premier League and have also got off to a flyer in their return to the Champions League, having beaten PSV Eindhoven 4-0 in their European curtain-raiser.

Upcoming for the north Londoners is a battle with French outfit RC Lens before attending to the small matter of Manchester City, a contest all fans will be eager to feast their eyes on. The pair went toe-to-toe for the best part of the 2022/23 campaign, though Arsenal did eventually finish five points off the pace, having succumbed to the pressure of leading the pack.

Arteta will be keen to get the better of former Bayern Munich and Barcelona custodian Pep Guardiola this time around as he hopes to lead his side, who are beaming with hope and promise, to Premier League glory. Saying that, injuries to Saka and Jesus will be more than detrimental to his chances of one-upping his former colleague.

To add to their growing absentee list, Arteta confirmed that the £460k-a-week duo both suffered injuries in a contest that saw them beat Bournemouth four goals to the good. Jesus missed a hefty chunk of the 2022/23 season and so, all involved at the club will be hoping that his latest knock is not as significant. On the Englishman’s injury, Arteta said (via The Mirror):

“It was a pretty bad knock. I don’t know how he’s feeling now, I haven’t had chance to speak to him. But hopefully we can get him back.”

Should the forward pair be unavailable for the foreseeable future, Brown has given GIVEMESPORT an update on how the Champions League returnees will fare.

£65m Arsenal star could step up in the absence of Jesus and Saka – Paul Brown

On the duo’s potential absence, journalist Brown suggested it would most certainly be bad news given how important they both are to Arteta’s blueprint. The fact that Kai Havertz, who Arsenal shelled out £65m for, finally got off the mark in Arsenal colours, however, could alleviate the loss as it may spur him on to keep adding to his tally, the reliable reporter insisted. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said…

“I think it would be a big blow to lose one or both [Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus] You could argue that the two of them are their most important forwards really. That being said, it was great to see Kai Havertz finally scoring and the reception he got from his teammates who looked really, really pleased for him. You hope that kind of spurs him on a little bit and transforms his form because he's had a pretty bad start to life at Arsenal. “But yeah, I think Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus are pretty essential parts of the Arsenal machine, and you wouldn't want to lose either of them for the big games they've got coming up.”

Will Ben White be offered a new Arsenal contract?

Arsenal have been proactive in tying down key pieces of Arteta’s puzzle down to further years at the club as they have seen William Saliba, Martin Odegaard, Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Reiss Nelson all sign on the dotted line.

Ben White, who was signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for £50m, pockets a respectable £120k-a-week as things stand at the Emirates Stadium, but it has been reported by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano the Poole-born defender could be in line for a new bumper deal at the capital club, which many will consider heavily deserved thanks to his persistently impressive performances in the red of Arsenal.

Jurrien Timber's unforeseen ACL injury has allowed the English defender to keep his place but once the former Ajax man returns to action, his minutes on the turf will - most likely - take a dent, especially with the distraction of Champions League currently at the forefront of Arteta's mind. Journalist Jacobs recently admitted to GIVEMESPORT that White has become a bit of a fan favourite in the north of London, though there is no real urgency to rush the contract extension given he has committed his future to the English giants until 2026 already.