Alexandre Lacazette out until October

Well, crap. Just when we were all getting excited for the return of Arsenal, and to see what a well-rested, hopefully more fully-stocked Arsenal would look like, we get news that Alexandre Lacazette will be out until October with an ankle injury.

There aren’t a lot of specifics beyond that - Arsenal calls it an “ongoing ankle injury” that was further assessed and deemed unsafe to play on, so they’re erring on the side of caution here. Which is good, because it’s a long season and we’re going to need a healthy Laca in as much of it as possible.

“October” is also a bit vague - I mean, that’s only two weeks away, so, best case, Laca misses the first Europa League game, a League Cup game, and Premier League games against Villa and Manchester United before returning for the Standard Liege EL game on October 3rd. If you’re going to be injured, that’s a decent enough stretch to miss, without a powerhouse in sight.

Looking a little further down the calendar, October doesn’t look to be the worst month either, if his absence extends - Bournemouth, Sheffield United, and Crystal Palace in the league, and Vitoria in the EL.

So, while it’s unfortunate he’s hurt now, this stretch of games is probably the most forgiving in the next few months. Hopefully he’ll heal up fast and whatever is ailing his ankle will be cleared up for the rest of the season.