Ben White undergoes knee surgery as Arsenal’s injury problems threaten to derail Premier League title challenge

Arsenal’s injury problems show little sign of easing as Ben White has undergone a minor surgical procedure to alleviate a problem with his knee joint, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The 27-year-old has been playing through the pain barrier in recent weeks and was only able to complete 19 minutes of the loss to Newcastle, although he managed the full 90 in the 1-1 draw against Chelsea.

Arsenal have not set a timetable for White’s future availability, but even a minor surgical procedure will require a period on the sidelines. Mikel Arteta hopes a potentially imminent return of left-back Riccardo Calafiori will ensure his options are not overly limited in full-back positions that have been better stocked on paper than on the pitch. Takehiro Tomiyasu also missed the entire season with multiple knee injuries, while Jurrien Timber had the type of minor setbacks that are common for a player recovering from a major ACL injury.

Arsenal will also spend the international break working to return Declan Rice (toe) and Bukayo Saka (muscle) to full fitness, both of whom have retired from England duty. Norway’s willingness to allow Martin Odegaard (ankle) to complete his rehabilitation at London Colney was much more welcome, not least because the club captain provided an impressive reminder of his qualities as he played the full 90 minutes against Chelsea.

That match ended with Arteta “prays” that his team’s injury problems will ease after the international break, when the schedule looks much more favorable for a team that has already played away from home against five of last season’s top seven. Returning to the rhythm of the aforementioned trio would be vital, but White’s importance should not be underestimated, particularly for the interaction he offers on the right with Odegaard and Saka.

White has struggled to find his best form so far this season, but in what has been an injury-hit Arsenal campaign, his willingness to get out on the pitch whenever he can has earned him even more respect across the club. Notably, the right-back entered the fray in the second half of the 2-2 draw against Manchester City when he was visibly struggling with a knee problem that led to surgery.

Arsenal will hope they have timed this well, not least because White at full speed will only help their quest for the kind of prolonged winning streak that will be necessary to close the gap on Liverpool. They have been without that player so far this season, particularly in possession, where overlapping runs beyond Saka have been less frequent.

White’s slow start until 2024-25

All Premier League statistics, for 90 minutes

*touches the last eight percent of the field

Anything close to last season’s version of White makes Arsenal a more dangerous attacking force. The bet will be that, in the meantime, they can get the results they need against the likes of Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Manchester United, their first three league opponents after the international break. If Timber fills the right-back position as impressively as he did against Paris Saint-Germain… A match after which the Dutch international earned excellent reviews from Saka. — and the other side is covered by the likes of Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko, so there should be enough in the tank to carry Arsenal until White’s return.

If that’s the case and White returns to last season’s level, then this team could still have something to say when it comes to the title race.