Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will make a late call on Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard ahead of Everton, with both players still being assessed after missing the trip to Bayer Leverkusen.
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will wait until the last moment before deciding whether Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard can face Everton on Saturday, with both players still being checked by club doctors. The Arsenal manager was asked directly for an update on the pair in his pre-match press conference and kept his answer brief. “Let’s see,” Arteta said. “We will have to wait and see, speak to the doctors on whether they are involved or not.”
That leaves Arsenal with two significant fitness questions heading into a key Premier League fixture at the Emirates. Odegaard has not featured since coming off the bench against Tottenham last month and has missed Arsenal’s last four matches in all competitions because of a knee problem. Trossard, meanwhile, was forced off in the FA Cup win over Mansfield Town and then sat out Wednesday night’s 1-1 Champions League draw away to Bayer Leverkusen.
The Odegaard situation has been particularly disruptive for Arsenal. Arteta had already ruled his captain out before the Leverkusen game earlier this week, and the Norway international’s season has been repeatedly interrupted by injury. Even so, his absence remains a major issue for Arsenal because of the control and creativity he brings in possession, something that the team have missed significantly in recent fixutres. Saturday’s press conference did not provide a firm return date, but it did at least leave the door open to involvement against Everton rather than closing it completely.
Trossard’s outlook continues to appear similarly uncertain. Arteta said after the Leverkusen draw that the Belgium forward had trained before the game but “wasn’t comfortable to play”, which explains why he did not travel despite returning to the group for training with the squad ahead of the Champions League Round of 16. The latest update suggests there has been no definitive breakthrough yet, only another round of checks before a final decision is made.
For Arsenal, that means the team news remains unresolved at a point when the schedule leaves little room for error. Everton arrive in north London with improved form under David Moyes, while Arteta is also trying to balance this weekend’s title-race demands with the second leg against Leverkusen next week. Odegaard and Trossard would each offer different solutions if passed fit, but for now Arsenal are still waiting. The clearest message from Arteta was that neither player has been ruled in, and neither has been ruled out.