Arsenal Rocked By Fresh Injury Blow With Star Set To Miss Key Fixtures

Arsenal have been rocked by yet another injury blow with the Guardian reporting that Laurent Koscielny is set to miss ‘at least two weeks’ with a calf injury.

The Frenchman was substituted at half time during our 6-0 humiliation at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and it emerged after the game he had picked up a calf problem.

Arsene Wenger confirmed yesterday on Arsenal.com that the defender was set to have a scan on Monday afternoon to determine the full extend of the injury, and it seems the results are in.

The Guardian claim that the clubs medical staff expect Koscielny to miss ‘at least two weeks’ with his absence set to run well into next month, meaning he’ll not only miss tonight’s game against Swansea City but also out crucial upcoming fixtures against Manchester City and away at Everton.

If it turns out to be longer than two weeks, which lets face it is entirely possible given our history with injuries, then Kos is also unlikely to face Wigan Athletic in the semi-final of the FA Cup on the 12th April.

It’s a huge blow as Koscielny has formed an excellent partnership with Per Mertesacker at the back over the past 12 months, with the exception of a couple of games against Liverpool and Chelsea.

However, his absence does open the door for Thomas Vermaelen to re-establish himself as a first team regular and I really hope he takes his opportunity to impress. The Belgian has done very well when he’s been called upon this season and there aren’t many better third-choice central defenders about, so we’re lucky to have him in that sense.