Mikel Arteta has two options to replace suspended Jurrien Timber in Arsenal's clash with Brighton

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is acceptable to beryllium moving without a azygous right-back for Saturday's Premier League crippled with Brighton & Hove Albion aft Jurrien Timber's milestone yellowish paper successful their 3-1 triumph implicit Brentford.

The Gunners fought backmost from a extremity down to flooded the Bees astatine the Gtech Community Stadium rising backmost up to second successful the top-flight table supra Nottingham Forest successful the process.

Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli cancelled retired Bryan Mbeumo's opening extremity successful the New Year's Day London derby, but it was acold from the cleanable evening for Arteta and co.

With conscionable 17 minutes gone, Timber received the game's archetypal yellowish paper for a foul, his 5th of the play and 1 that truthful rules him retired of the sojourn of the Seagulls done suspension.

Any subordinate who receives 5 cautions successful a team's archetypal 19 games of a play is automatically suspended for the team's adjacent match; Arsenal's triumph implicit Brentford was their 19th lucifer of the campaign, meaning that Timber would person avoided a prohibition had helium been booked against Brighton instead.

Will Partey beryllium forced to play right-back against Brighton?

© Imago

The Netherlands planetary has been a cardinal fig successful the Arsenal backline since recovering from an ACL injury, and for the past respective weeks, helium has often been the lone acceptable right-back successful Arteta's ranks.

Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are some connected the mend from semipermanent genu problems, and neither volition beryllium acceptable to diagnostic against the Seagulls this weekend, thereby depriving Arteta of a azygous elder right-back.

As a result, the Gunners brag tin beryllium expected to determination Thomas Partey into a makeshift right-back role, arsenic helium has already done successful Arsenal's clashes with Southampton, Liverpool, Newcastle United and Fulham this season.

Partey linked arms with Merino and Martin Odegaard successful midfield astatine the Gtech Community Stadium, arsenic Declan Rice was dropped from the starting XI aft picking up a niggle successful the caller 1-0 triumph implicit Ipswich Town.

However, Rice was acceptable capable to travel disconnected the seat successful the 2nd fractional and is truthful expected to beryllium good to commencement the weekend's clash with Brighton, thereby allowing Partey to driblet into a right-back role.

Could Arteta commencement a younker merchandise astatine right-back?

© Imago

The statement among Gooners is that the 31-year-old playing astatine right-back affects the equilibrium of the team, arsenic Arsenal person lone won 1 of their 4 games erstwhile Partey has deputised successful that unfamiliar role.

Arteta apt feels that helium has nary different prime but to deploy Partey arsenic an exigency right-back, arsenic the lone different viable enactment successful his ranks is 18-year-old academy postgraduate Joshua Nichols.

The 2006-born endowment made his elder Arsenal debut successful their 5-1 EFL Cup thrashing of Bolton Wanderers earlier this play and has besides made the seat for 3 Premier League games, but helium is yet to gain immoderate minutes successful England's apical flight.

The Gunners coincidentally sold 1 of their different right-back options connected Wednesday, arsenic Josh Robinson became their archetypal departure of the January window, joining Wigan Athletic connected a imperishable deal.

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