Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has suffered another injury blow as defender Ezri Konsa pulled out of the England squad ahead of their Nations League match against Czech Republic. The 28-year-old, who joined the Gunners in the summer from Aston Villa, had been a regular starter but felt discomfort in camp and aggravated a quad issue.
England boss Thomas Tuchel explained: "Ezri felt discomfort when he came into camp, played with it against Spain and it got a bit worse so he stayed in camp and tried everything for the match against Czechia and it came too soon. He tried everything for the game in Croatia, got the green light and came through all the training sessions so was ready to play.
"Unfortunately, he got another hit on the quad and that caused a light trauma and we decided not to let him play through this pain, so he left camp to get treatment for both his issues now. I think nothing major but not worth the risk taking."
Arsenal's defensive concerns ahead of Leeds
It is unclear whether Konsa will be fit to face Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on October 10. Arsenal were already without Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera in their 3-0 defeat at Brighton before the international break, and Jurrien Timber has recently returned from his own injury struggles.
The Gunners had won their first seven fixtures across all competitions this season, but the loss at the Amex and injuries to Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis during the break have added to Arteta's frustrations.
Willian reveals Arteta's promises
Former Arsenal winger Willian has claimed he was "sold a dream" by Arteta and the club hierarchy before his move from Chelsea in 2020. Speaking to John Obi Mikel on The Obi One Podcast, the Brazilian said Arteta told him: "We're going to play like this, and I want you to be the main guy, I will build the team around you, I want to give you the key to the club."
Willian, who signed a £220,000-per-week contract at age 32, managed just one goal in the 2020/21 season before leaving by mutual consent. He said: "I got frustrated. I am not saying it is their fault, but when you heard a lot of things and then you join the club, things that are not the same as what they told me, I got frustrated straight away. Three months later I said to my agent I want to leave, and that I made a big mistake leaving Chelsea."
He added: "I have nothing against him [Arteta]. He's a great coach inside the pitch, his ideas are great but he missed little bits on how to manage the team. The human part, he was missing it. It's important, but inside the pitch he is good. I always joke that they sold me a dream and it wasn't a good dream."
