Mikel Arteta To Miss Remainder Of The Season With Ankle Injury

According to the Guardian, Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury he suffered in the Gunners' loss to Wigan on Monday. Arteta rolled his ankle while trying to cross and was immediately substituted off. Scans later revealed ligament damage in the ankle.

The true extent of Arteta's injury remains unclear. While it has ruled him out for the rest of the season, doctors were unsure if this would be a one-month injury or possibly a much longer one. They will continue to monitor him and try to get a better read on his injury, but he will not be playing. In addition, his injury will keep him from the training ground and limit his dressing room time, where he has been reported to be extremely influential and has done a lot to help Arsenal's turnaround.

With Arteta out, Arsene Wenger is short on available midfielders for this weekend's key clash with Chelsea. Jack Wilshere has been ruled out for the year and Abou Diaby looks unlikely to be fit for the contest, while on-loan Yossi Benayoun is ineligible to play against his parent club. That leaves Aaron Ramsey, Alex Song, Tomas Rosicky and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as the only available midfielders, with Gervinho an option on the left as well. That isn't much for Wenger to choose from in a match that, if they lose, could put them right back in the fight for a top-four spot.