Arsene Wenger could start Arsenal midfielder Kim Kallstrom against Wigan

Kim Kallstrom

Suspension and poor form among his midfield rivals mean Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey may be fast-tracked into a starting role for the club’s FA Cup semi-final tie with Wigan this weekend, while reports suggest January signing Kim Kallstrom could also start as manager Arsene Wenger looks to shuffle his pack in a bid to allay the side’s poor form.

A 3-0 thumping at Everton last weekend raised questions over Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini at the base of the Gunners’ midfield, while the yellow card picked up by Flamini in that game means that he is suspended for the next two games even if Wenger had wanted to pick him.

This could pave the way for Kallstrom to start his first game for the club, report the Daily Mirror, in only his second appearance. The Swede was signed in January but has featured for just 12 minutes in the Premier League this season.

He could partner Ramsey who, in spite of only returning from a long injury lay off against Everton is also thought to be in Wenger’s thinking for a starting role.

The Arsenal boss is without Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil and the suspended Flamini in his midfield, meaning that he has limited resources with which to plot his duel pursuits of the FA Cup and the final Champions League place.

His central midfield options currently consist of Arteta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain alongside Ramsey and Kallstrom, leaving the latter pair likely to feature in the coming weeks.

In his brief Arsenal debut, Kallstrom registered a pass accuracy of just 71%.