Mikel Arteta is hopeful Thomas Partey could be fit in time to face Leicester on Saturday while Gabriel Jesus is recovering well from his knee injury.
Partey has not featured in Arsenal's last two matches and was sorely missed in the defeat to title rivals Manchester City. The Gunners managed to scrape past Aston Villa without the Ghanaian midfielder last weekend but his return to the team could be pivotal to their chances of lifting the trophy in May.
Speaking in his press conference on Friday, Arteta admitted Partey was still not fully involved in training as normal, but could make the squad if things go their way. "Thomas hasn’t trained much, but looks like he could be available," the Arsenal boss told reporters. "Let’s see how he trains today."
Arsenal have been able to call on the talents and experience of January signing Jorginho to fill the Partey-shaped void. The Italian midfielder is proving to be a shrewd addition following his switch from Chelsea and played a huge hand in the win over Villa, his long-range shot rattling back off the crossbar before hitting Emi Martinez for the unfortunate own goal which proved to be the winner.
Naturally Arteta knew what he was getting with the acquisition of the Champions League winner and insisted he was not surprised by Jorginho's swift adaptation. Asked if he expected the 31-year-old to settle in so quickly, Arteta replied: "I did. He's got the experience and the qualities to settle into the team."
While Partey is on the verge of a return, Arsenal will still be waiting some weeks for striker Jesus to be back in the fold. The Brazilian has been out of action since the World Cup but his rehabilitation is going well.
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" He’s progressing well," Arteta said. "Doing more and more on the field. The knee’s not reacting so it’s positive. We want him back quickly but respect the timeline from the doctors."
Eddie Nketiah has been a worthy replacement for Jesus during his absence, with the 23-year-old netting six times in 11 games since the restart after Christmas, though hasn't scored in any of his last five appearances.
Gabriel Martinelli was back amongst the goals against Villa, however, after an eight-game drought, while Bukayo Saka continued his impressive season by getting on the scoresheet again. Arsenal showed good character to come from behind twice before snatching a late victory, but Arteta wants to see all-round improvements for Saturday's clash with Leicester.
"I was really complimentary to them [the Arsenal players], the way they reacted," he said. "We want a more consistent performance against Leicester because we're going to need it to win the game."
Leicester have been struggling for form this season and suffered a setback in their recent revival last week when they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by title outsiders Manchester United. The Foxes had beaten Tottenham 4-1 the week prior though, in what will serve as a warning to Arsenal if they don't turn up and perform.
