Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Arteta (Photograph by Ryan Pierse/Getty Pictures, Hayters)
Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta wouldn’t rule out the shock choice of shifting Riccardo Calafiori up entrance whereas Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are out injured.
Talking at his press convention earlier immediately, the Spanish tactician addressed his aspect’s present hanging woes, and appeared surprisingly upbeat regardless of the staff’s lengthy record of accidents this season.
Havertz and Jesus gained’t play once more this season, whereas it’s additionally not that clear if Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli will likely be accessible once more that quickly.
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When it was put to him that Calafiori used to play as a striker in his youth, Arteta joked that William Saliba has additionally spoken about filling in up entrance.
Nonetheless, when requested about Calafiori specifically it appeared that the Arsenal supervisor was open to discovering “inventive” options up entrance throughout this troublesome interval.
Mikel Arteta didn’t rule out attempting Riccardo Calafiori up entrance
When requested about Calafiori’s previous expertise of taking part in as a striker, Arteta responded: “And Saliba…you didn’t know that, eh?”
He added: “All of the choices are welcome. You by no means know what’s going to occur, so you must be inventive.”
Calafiori has scored two objectives for Arsenal this season, together with a surprising strike from lengthy vary within the 2-2 draw away to Manchester Metropolis earlier within the marketing campaign.
The Italy worldwide additionally bought ahead properly and completed instinctively in Arsenal’s current 1-0 win away to Wolves, so he clearly has that in his locker.
Nonetheless, Calafiori has been taking part in both as a centre-back or a left-back for a lot of his senior profession, so it might in all probability be an enormous adjustment to going again to taking part in up entrance, even when he did it in his youth profession.
Arsenal nonetheless have Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri and Raheem Sterling as choices for his or her entrance three.
