Arsenal collected a disappointing 1-3 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup 4th Round tie on Friday evening but their miseries did not end there at the Emirates.
Unai Emery has been dealt another headache with injuries to his both his starting centre-halfs, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Laurent Koscielny. The former limped off the pitch in the first half after what looked like a severe ankle sprain while Koscielny had to be spent to the hospital over a suspected broken jaw.
When asked about the player’s injuries in the post-match conference, Emery said, “I hope they are not two big injuries. Sokratis hurt his ankle – I hope not a lot. Koscielny is different. It was maybe a break. I hope not but he’s going to the hospital and we’re going to wait.”
With Rob Holding ruled out for the remainder of the season, the Gunners are currently highly understaffed in the centre-back department. Emery is expected to bring back Shkodran Mustafi back into the starting lineup with Konstantinos Mavropanos as his only other option.
Arsenal do not have the funds to pursue a new face and there are only 5 more days left in the January transfer window. They only realistic move for Emery right now would be to pay a hefty penalty and recall Calum Chambers from his loan spell with Fulham.
Emery has chosen to play Granit Xhaka in the centre-back spot before and that ended up being a total disaster. Chambers has shown improvements during his 18 appearances for the Cottagers this term and could offer Emery some backup options in defence.
See Also: Arsenal’s Fullback Target Close To Signing With Barcelona On A Joint Transfer
Arsenal Keen On Signing Paris Saint-Germain Midfielder On Loan
