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The 2-1 defeat to West Brom away from home was disappointing in itself, but the disappointment has been further compounded by the news that holding midfielder Francis Coquelin, who was injured during the match, will be out for the rest of the year.
The Arsenal FC injury list is already huge and includes the likes of Theo Walcott, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky and Danny Welbeck. The latest addition to this unfortunate group of players is the Gunners’ mainstay in holding midfield, Francis Coquelin, who picked up an injury early in the match against West Brom and had to be substituted early in the game.
The Daily Mail were one of the first publications to break the news of the injury to the 24-year-old Frenchman, reporting: “Coquelin has undergone scans to assess the extent of the injury and tests have shown up substantial ligament damage. However, the Gunners’ medical team will wait for the swelling to fully subside before conducting further examinations on Coquelin’s injured knee.”
Professor Wenger in a fix
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger finds himself in a bit of bother with the latest addition to his injury woes. Francis Coquelin was an instrumental member of the side that had been sitting on top of the league before the weekend. Now Arsenal FC are back to the much maligned fourth place after the defeat, and Wenger has to find some way to deal with the loss of an irreplaceable player.
The criticism aimed at Wenger for not spending money on players during the summer transfer window will definitely return again with even more ferocity and the manager would do well to identify a few players that he can bring in during the January transfer window. It’s the only way he can deal with the injuries that have ravaged his side and put a dampener on their title ambitions.