Coquelin faces "lengthy layoff" thanks to knee injury

As we all saw yesterday, Francis Coquelin had to leave the game early thanks to injury. Today, we're starting to learn the extent of that injury, and said extent is not good at all. He left The Hawthorns on crutches, and it is "known" by the club that he has ligament damage; what is not yet known, though, is how much damage was done and how long Coquelin will subsequently be out.

Clearly, this is not great. No matter how one regards Coquelin's abilities, he has developed into an important player for Arsenal. His loss, combined with the massive pile of midfield injuries Arsenal have right now, means that the Mathieu Flamini Era might get an emergency restart, which is a sobering thought, particularly since Arsenal's next game is a CL must-win. Get well soon, Francis. Very soon. Please.