BALL-GATE

CURIOUS CASE OF THE BALL IN FRONT OF MARTIN'S BOOT

You’ve all seen the picture.

Martin Ødegaard, sitting on a bench, with Mikel Arteta proudly in the middle.

But upon closer inspection, it appears there is, in fact, a ball strategically placed to disguise Martin Ødegaard's ankle.

The art direction works. Two lovely Premier League balls. Maybe they’re always there?

People, we have a problem… this could be bad.

If Martin has damaged his ankle, the swelling would make it impossible to put a boot on, which would make for an ugly photo.

This aesthetic maneuver could be shielding a big problem for Arsenal. Ankles are complicated beasts, so who knows when we’ll see him back, but I doubt it’s going to be this Thursday if he can’t wear a boot today.

This is the way with Arsenal… if there’s a lack of bodies in a position, we’ll always be ruthlessly exposed.

So what should the plan be? It should be Ethan Nwaneri.

Cesc Fabregas had this to say on the BBC the other day:

"Look at Barcelona. They had economic problems. By force, they had to start playing all the young players, and look at them now. Four, five years later, and they keep coming. Now, Hansi Flick keeps adding two or three more. Some of them, Lamine Yamal for example, are valued at €120 million.

"This only happens when it's done by force. And it frustrates me a little bit because we say 'look at these young players,' but there could be more. Barcelona is forced to do it in the last couple of years, then all of a sudden, 10 young players, 16/17 years old, can play for the first team. And everyone is like 'how amazing they are doing.' No, it's because they are forced because they don't have money to spend on big players."

Arsenal aren’t broke, but they have no time to move on a replacement, and the Mikel rhetoric this summer would suggest the actual Martin back-up option was always going to be Ethan.

As fans, we all like the idea of Oscar-Bobb-ing until we’re forced into it.