Arteta reveals Martinelli’s injury is ‘nasty’

Arsenal are set to miss Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Martinelli for the final two games of the season, Mikel Arteta has confirmed.

The Gunners boss confirmed that Martinelli’s injury is quite serious and, consequently, he will not be available for the next game against Nottingham Forest or the final one against Wolves.

"They are both out for the rest of the season," Arteta told the press on Friday.

"Gabi [Martinelli] is a pretty nasty injury, we need to assess in the next week how long he will be out for, and with Alex [Zinchenko], it’s a calf issue."

Details of Saka’s new deal revealed

Kieran Tierney is expected to continue at left back with the Ukrainian not available, while Leandro Trossard could be started in Martinelli's place again. However, Reiss Nelson is an option should Arteta feel the need to rest Trossard.

Meanwhile, after Aaron Ramsdale extended his contract with Arsenal, Arteta hints that there are players who could sign new deals soon.

"There are a few more that are very relevant for us to continue with that relationship, and we are working on that," he added.

"We have built that core and that foundation. There’s a lot of quality, a lot of youth, and a lot of enthusiasm, but as well surrounded by a lot of good people with the right experience and a lot of leadership around them.

"We have to continue to do that because the demands, the expectations, and the challenges next season will be even higher. We cannot get confused about where we are today and have a lot of clarity for how we’re going to get where we want [to be] in the next season."

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Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are understood to be in advanced talks with the North London club over new contracts.