Mikel Arteta has backed Eberechi Eze to make an impression on his debut as Arsenal prepare to face Liverpool on Sunday without several key attacking players including Bukayo Saka. Arteta is, however, close to having a new defensive option in Piero Hincapié after loan terms were agreed with Bayer Leverkusen.
The England forward Saka will miss the trip to Anfield after picking up a hamstring injury against Leeds last Saturday, although Arteta was hopeful the winger could be back after the international break. The Arsenal manager also confirmed Kai Havertz had undergone surgery on a knee problem that will keep him out for several weeks. Martin Ødegaard and Leandro Trossard are major doubts for the game against the champions.
Ødegaard was named in Norway’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers but has not trained since sustaining a shoulder injury in the 5-0 win over Leeds.
Arteta said there was a chance his captain could play against Liverpool but believes Eze, who scored winners for Crystal Palace at Anfield in April 2024 and in May’s FA Cup final against Manchester City, is eager to make an impact after his arrival for a fee worth up to £67.5m last weekend.
“I think he’s the type of player that loves those scenarios and those moments,” the manager said. “I think the moment he starts to play, we will see how the team will react and what connections will flourish from his interventions. I’m very confident that he’s played in the league for so many years.
“We have to put him in the positions and scenarios where he can deliver those moments which are the reason why we brought him here: to give us something different, something unexpected, and we will adapt to more what is necessary as we know the outcome of that is really big.”
Arsenal agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Hincapié on an initial loan, with an option to make the Ecuador defender’s move permanent next summer for €52m (£45m).
Hincapié, who is understood to have already agreed personal terms for his move to north London, is expected to complete his medical over the weekend before becoming Arsenal’s eighth signing of the summer. His impending arrival is likely to lead to the departure of Jakub Kiwior to Porto in a loan deal that includes an obligation for the Poland defender to make the move permanently next summer for up to €27m, with interest also building in Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Arteta’s side have already spent more than £250m on new players in this transfer window and Arsenal had been looking to structure their move for Hincapié as an initial loan so they do not fall foul of Uefa’s regulations on financial fair play. They are believed to have discussed the deal with Leverkusen officials on Friday and reached an agreement over the 23-year-old, who had a release clause of €60m but expressed his wish to leave. Hincapié, who can play as a left-sided centre‑back or left-back, joined the Bundesliga club from the Argentinian side Talleres in 2021 and has 46 caps for his country.
Kiwior had interest from Crystal Palace but preferred to join Porto, who have agreed to pay around £2m to take the 25-year-old on loan for the season before he completes his permanent move. Arsenal did not want to sanction his departure until they had secured a replacement and are now stepping up their efforts to offload other fringe players before Monday’s transfer deadline.
Marseille have enquired about signing Zinchenko, although the Ukrainian’s wages could be a stumbling block. Fulham and Palace have both been in talks over Reiss Nelson, while Stuttgart are expected to step up their efforts to sign the Portugal midfielder Fábio Vieira before the end of the window.
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Ben White and Christian Nørgaard are also struggling to be available for the Liverpool game as Arsenal’s injury concerns have continued from last season, when they were without Saka, Ødegaard and Havertz for lengthy spells.
Arteta revealed that Arsenal had been looking into why they have been dealing with so many absences and said they were “continually monitoring and evolving the needs of the players and the schedule”.
He said Saka’s repeated problems were a big concern. The forward was out for more than three months after surgery on his right hamstring in December and has picked up the latest injury in his other leg.
“He does not need surgery,” said Arteta. “It’s not as bad as the previous one. He felt something, so he will be out for a couple of weeks. But it is obviously a concern, a big one, especially when we talk about a sprinter and a player that gets into that zone very often in a football match, who needs that burst, that change of rhythm of pace to be as threatening as possible.
“But we will learn again as to why it happened and make him stronger. Unfortunately injuries are part of a career. He hasn’t had that many, to be fair, with the amount of games that he has played at his age but it is something that we want to eradicate.”
