Mikel Arteta may have shot himself in the foot as Arsenal risk being left red-faced

may have inadvertently shot himself in the foot by sanctioning one of ‘s summer exits. The Gunners are currently without their main creative outlet in Martin Odegaard, who could be sidelined for months with a long-term ankle injury. have picked up some impressive wins in the absence of Odegaard, beating and drawing with in the . They also made light work of Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League showdown earlier this week.However, they have struggled at times and could have done with Odegaard’s creativity in their goalless draw at Atalanta. His presence in midfield would have also helped the Gunners to avoid a major scare in their recent win over Leicester City.

It seems Arteta is eager to add some cover in January, with Football Insider reporting that will target a new attacking midfielder when the window re-opens. However, they would not need to delve into the market if they had kept one of their academy products.Eddie Nketiah was sold to Crystal Palace over the summer, where he has been playing as an attacking midfielder. The 25-year-old featured as a striker during his time at but has been given a new lease of life by Eagles boss Oliver Glasner.Glasner knew from the start that he wanted to unlock Nketiah’s potential by playing him in a deeper role, saying last month: “You can trust that we did our homework before signing him. When you watch Eddie play at , he played as a nine.

“He’s not a pivot, like in basketball, who is waiting for the ball. He’s so, so smart in finding the space. He has such a good feeling. Sometimes, he needs to stay in the pocket and then make the run in behind. He has a feeling to make the right decisions.”Nketiah would have been solid injury cover for Odegaard and potentially a better option than signing a new player in January. He already knows the team and tactics well and showed flashes of his quality for the Gunners before he was shipped out to Palace.Arteta had no way of knowing that Odegaard would pick up a long-term injury just weeks after the end of the summer window. However, his decision to approve Nketiah’s exit is looking like a mistake in hindsight given his new creative role at Selhurst Park.