“He is a big piece of the puzzle for Mikel Arteta” – Mikael Silvestre suggests Arsenal could be in ‘trouble’ if 29-year-old star doesn’t play derby against Tottenham

Former Arsenal and Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre believes the Gunners could struggle if Thomas Partey misses their match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs will travel to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday (October 1) for the first North London Derby of the Premier League season. While both teams would ideally want to have their entire squad to choose from for this marquee fixture, they have a few injury concerns.

Partey is among the most prominent names on Arsenal's injury list. The 29-year-old pulled out of Ghana's friendly against Brazil due to an issue with his knee (as per GOAL). He then returned to the Emirates for further assessments rather than staying with his national team for their fixture against Nicaragua.

Silvestre believes Partey is a key player for the Gunners and stated that his potential absence is cause for concern. The Frenchman told Betting Expert:

"He is a big piece of the puzzle for Mikel Arteta. Arsenal is showing they are stretched as soon as there is an injury to [Granit] Xhaka or Partey. They are short on bodies so it could be problematic this season."

He added about the qualities Partey brings to the fore:

"Partey is showing he is good on the ball. He has got that physicality that is needed in the middle part, he is making challenges. So if he doesn’t play, that is trouble for Arsenal."

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The Ghanaian has already missed games due to injury this season. He started the Gunners' first three Premier League matches of the season before missing the next three due to a thigh injury.

Partey returned to action in their 3-0 win away to Brentford in their final match prior to the international break, getting 78 minutes on the pitch.

Arsenal have multiple injury concerns heading into match against Tottenham

Apart from Partey, Arsenal also have other key injuries to contend with ahead of their clash with Tottenham.

Kieran Tierney sustained a knock to the head while playing for Scotland against Northern Ireland last week, forcing him to exit proceedings in the first half. The team later announced that he had been taken off as a precaution (via GOAL).

Tierney missed the Scots' final match of the international break, a 0-0 UEFA Nations League draw against Ukraine.

Another Gunners player who wasn't involved in the aforementioned fixture was Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko. The versatile footballer didn't feature for his national team after picking up a calf injury prior to the international break.

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Emile Smith Rowe and Cedric Soares are also doubtful to be fit for the North London Derby. Mohamed Elneny is certain to miss out, having not featured for club or country since late August due to a hamstring injury.

However, there was some positive news for Arsenal. Martin Odegaard missed his club's match against Brentford due to a calf injury but started for Denmark in both of their Nations League matches this month. He could consequently be fit for the clash against Tottenham.