Yesterday morning I was brushing my teeth and I was thinking about the Big Gabi injury. I thought to myself “it feels like every time we get an injury update from a Fabrizio Romano or an Ornstein Bomba with regards to injuries over the last 12 – 18 months, it’s always been worse than is first feared. I spoke about the differences in the strains on the blog yesterday (it sounds like Gabi’s is an adductor/groin one as I mentioned) and the hope is always that it’s one of those grade one’s, or at worst a mild grade two. What’s that Spongebob meme?
*A few moments later…*
Yeah, that was basically me last night as, post making and eating dinner, I had a little scroll on my timeline to see:
Arsenal continuing to assess Gabriel amid concerns 27yo could miss 1-2 months through injury sustained on international duty. Initial indications suggest #AFC centre-back set for spell out but tests ongoing
W/ @gunnerblog.bsky.social for @theathleticfc.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/athletic/681…— David Ornstein (@david-ornstein.bsky.social) 18 November 2025 at 17:18
“Great” I thought. And just bloody predictable. But the night wasn’t done there, with Fabrizio then appearing on my timeline with:
Nagelsmann: “Kai Havertz had minor relapse on his injury, but overall he’s doing well”. “He is expected to return towards the end of the year”.
— Fabrizio Romano (MIRROR) (@fabrizioromano.yopro20.com) 18 November 2025 at 17:29
Super stuff, if true and to be fair, he’s just repeating the words of the German national team coach. But honestly, this news bloody sucks. I think a lot of us were hoping to have some exciting news regarding a number of players, but this Havertz stuff is a massive blow and as my mate Cookie pointed out on his social media last night the amount of time Havertz has missed in 2025 is mental. Given that about a week before he picked up his first big injury at the beginning of the year we had Arteta talking about how Havertz is a ‘genetic powerhouse‘ it makes me feel like sometimes we are bloody cursed. It’s like we’re not allowed to say anything, or think anything, because it could literally manifest itself into existence. The injuries we’ve had in the last year and a bit have been crazy and by the sounds of this – as yet to be confirmed by the club – series of setbacks, it shows no sign of abating just yet.
Just let us play football with our players. Please. It’s getting mental now.
Let’s not sugar goat this either; Big Gabi out for one, or two months, is huge. We’re on 19th November now, if it is worse-case scenario, he misses out until mid-bloody-January. There’s so many games during that time, it’s crazy to think that he’ll probably have missed the equivalent of a third of a season’s games if it’s the worst-case scenario.
It means that we need to find a solution and that solution, thankfully, comes in different guises. Piero Hincapie – who I’ll admit I wondered where and when he’s get game time – is suddenly a guy we’re all looking at and by the sounds of it he had a bit of a blinder for Ecuador last night. He played the full 90 so hopefully he’s back and ready to go for the North London Derby and given he comes across as a guy all built up as a warrior centre half, there can probably be no better option than having him in our defence on Sunday. I wonder if that’ll be as a left centre-half, or as a left back?
I seem to recall Arteta saying that he prefers not to disturb too many positions and shuffle people around (back when he said that I think it was related to Ben White playing centre half instead of right back) and given the positive news about Calafiori, perhaps the Italian will stick in at left back and we’ll have either Hincapie or Mosquera in to replace Gabi?
The good news is that I don’t think any of us could remotely predict who, but equally that either would be a very able deputy for the Brazilian. Mosquera has come in on a number of occasions, filled in on the left and the right of the centre half pairings. He’s proved good on the ball, with good distribution, an ability to ride tackles and a strong presence about him. Hincapie looks every bit the ‘warrior’ I already mentioned and whilst Mosquera might get the nod, I do have a sneaky suspicion that Hincapie will be the one. It kind of sets the right message too; he’s the left centre half understudy and Mosquera is nominally the right. He’s the guy who ‘feels’ like the better option to me, although I wouldn’t be unhappy with either. And that’s the good thing, right? Big Gabi is out, yet we have two defenders who look ace and who will see this as an opportunity to step up and prove their credentials. I don’t think we’ll be as solid as we are with Big Gabi, we’ll certainly not have the same goal threat in the opposition penalty box I don’t think, but I think defensively it hopefully won’t be as big a step down as the dark ol’ days of poor ol’ Rob Holding, bless him.
And so for today’s wrap up I think I’ll say only this: I am nervous as I always am with the North London Derby, I am rueful about the injuries sustained and the ‘setbacks’ again from another ludicrous international break, but I am hopeful and positive for a response this Sunday. We will need it.
Back tomorrow with more musings.
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