William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko have both lost their battle to return to fitness before the end of the season, according to reports. Saliba has been out since the middle of March after picking up a back injury against Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League, while Zinchenko was forced off with a calf problem in Arsenal’s win over Newcastle. Neither player will need surgery, but they will miss the Gunners’ run-in which includes matches against Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
Mikel Arteta’s defensive headache has been compounded by the absences of Saliba and Zinchenko, with Arsenal having conceded 14 goals in their last eight Premier League games. Kieran Tierney is likely to continue in the left-back role for upcoming matches, while Jakub Kiwior is likely to continue alongside Gabriel Magalhaes for the visit of Brighton on Sunday afternoon. Granit Xhaka is also an option for Arteta if he wants to recreate the tactic of having his left-back move into midfield when in possession of the ball.