‘Very different’: Mikel Arteta confirms ‘very aggressive’ Arsenal star is fit to face Nottingham Forest | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has provided good news on the fitness front ahead of the Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest on the road.

The Gunners dropped costly points against West Ham United last weekend after a disappointing 1-0 loss.

Liverpool now have a 11-point lead at the top of the table. Arsenal have a game in hand, but they face a humongous task to close the deficit in the coming months.

Wednesday’s game at City Ground is a must-win for them. Ahead of the encounter, Arteta has clarified that Ethan Nwaneri was just cramping against the Hammers.

The 17-year-old has had extra workload in recent weeks due to the injury crisis, but the Spaniard clarified that the ‘very aggressive‘ wonderkid is fine to face Forest.

He told Arsenal.com: “Ethan was just cramping, obviously his load has been very different in recent weeks, but he’s fine.”

When pressed on the fitness of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, Arteta added that they are progressing really well, but are still far from a comeback.

He added: “Bukayo and Gabi are progressing really well but are still a bit far from coming back.”

Arsenal have had a difficult campaign with plenty of untimely injuries. They are presently without Saka, Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, who are regular starters.

The lack of creativity was visible against the Hammers last weekend. Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri were able to create some chances, but the end product was poor.

The Gunners need a huge improvement in the final third if they want to beat Forest on Wednesday.

Arsenal have lost in three of the last four visits to City Ground and face another stern challenge.

In the absence of a specialist striker, there is more responsibility on the club’s midfielders in Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Declan Rice to get into scoring positions.

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