Arsenal could have another injury to deal with after reports emerged that Riccardo Calafiori was “in tears” after going down late on in Saturday’s win against Leicester.
The Foxes had fought their way back from two goals down to level the scores thanks to a second half brace from James Justin, but the Gunners broke their resistance deep into stoppage time with a 94th minute own goal from Wilfred Ndidi, before Kai Havertz added a fourth.
The win means Arsenal are still unbeaten this season and they sit third just a point behind Liverpool who lead the way at this early stage.
Calafiori injury concern?
The Gunners will be delighted to have won the game late on but it may have potentially come at a price.
X account Teamnewsandtix reported that there was concern Calafiori may have injured his knee at the end of the game and he was in tears.
He took to X.com and said:
? @Teamnewsandtix: “There’s some concern that Riccardo Calafiori injured his knee in stoppage time yesterday. There’s reports he was in tears after the game.” pic.twitter.com/EiYyuva7TX
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) September 29, 2024
Arsenal are already without captain Martin Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mike Merino, so they will be desperately hoping that Calafiori is fine.
The Italy international arrived at the Emirates from Italian side Bologna this summer in a deal which could be worth up to £42m.
The 22-year-old has made four Premier League appearances this season, and scored a brilliant goal in the recent 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
Calafiori is an important player for Mikel Arteta’s side as he offers versatility by being able to play at both left back and centre back.
It appears most of his minutes will come at left back as it will be a tough task to dislodge either William Saliba or Gabriel who have formed a formidable partnership.
The Gunners host Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday night in a huge Champions League game and they will be hoping to have Calafiori available.