Martin Ødegaard is a doubt for Arsenal's upcoming matches after limping off with a knee injury during the 2-0 win over West Ham. The Norwegian captain was substituted before half-time following a clash with Crysencio Summerville and left the Emirates Stadium with his left knee in a brace. Mikel Arteta expressed concern, saying the player was 'not positive' about the injury.
Declan Rice also went off in the second half with a back injury after scoring against his former club. The England midfielder is a doubt for the upcoming internationals against Wales and Latvia. Arteta noted that Rice rarely asks to be substituted, indicating the severity of the issue.
Arteta, marking his 300th game in charge, said: 'He had a clash knee-to-knee, and immediately he was uncomfortable. I just spoke to him, he’s not positive about it, he’s got a brace on. We’ll have to wait and see from the doctors.' On Rice, he added: 'He’s not all right because he asked me to come off, so that’s a shame.'
Bukayo Saka scored a penalty on his 200th Premier League appearance to seal the victory. He said the team was determined to make up for previous slip-ups against West Ham at home. 'It showed the progress we have made,' Saka said. 'We know if we keep a clean sheet it is more than likely we will win the game.'
West Ham remain in the relegation zone under new manager Nuno Espírito Santo, who acknowledged the need for improvement during the international break. 'This week has been a lot of new challenges,' he said. 'The international break is going to be very useful in terms of settling down the mind and focus.'
