Injury-plagued Arsenal to be without Ben White until 2025
Ben White has dealt Arsenal a new injury setback, with the defender expected to be sidelined until 2025. The Englishman recently underwent knee surgery to address an issue he’d been managing for months.
Mikel Arteta’s hopes of a fully fit squad after the international break have been dashed. Following the Chelsea draw, Arteta stated, “I am just going to pray that after the international break, I have all my players available,” but White’s extended absence adds to Arsenal’s woes.
Despite starting in Arsenal’s last two matches, White’s knee problem persisted, leading to the decision for surgery during the break to minimize his time out. He is expected to be unavailable for around eight weeks, returning in early 2025. White now joins the injury list alongside Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Jurrien Timber. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka might also be out after both left the field early in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea and subsequently withdrew from the England squad.
In a small positive for Arteta, captain Martin Odegaard is on track for recovery after opting to skip Norway’s Nations League games to focus on rehabilitation.
