Arsene WengerÂ’s need to strengthen his Arsenal squad was emphasised once more as injuries overshadowed their progress to the group stages of the Champions League. Lukas Podolski will definitely miss SundayÂ’s North London derby with Tottenham and faces three weeks out after suffering a hamstring injury in last nightÂ’s 2-0 win over Fenerbahce ( 5-0 on aggregate ). Aaron Ramsey scored twice but finished the match on the bench with a groin problem after Arsenal had used all three substitutes, while fellow midfielder Jack WilshereÂ’s fragile ankle was a cause for concern after he was the victim of some meaty tackles.
Wenger said “We paid a heavy price on the injury front because we lost Podolski, Podolski’s definitely out for 21 days. I don’t know how bad Ramsey is. I don’t know how Wilshere responds. We have to check that (on Wednesday) morning. Jack should be all right for Sunday. I’m hopeful on Aaron as well. I took him off with three or four minutes to go, but I don’t know how bad it is. He wanted to stay on.”
Mikel Arteta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are already injured so WengerÂ’s under even more pressure to add to his squad in the final days of the transfer window.
