Wilshere out until at least February, Flamini a doubt for Bournemouth

Jack Wilshere's surgically-repaired leg is still not allowing him to train, according to Arsène Wenger, and his recovery timeline could keep him out into the spring. In his words:

He will not be back before February. That’s for sure. I say February but honestly I don’t know. I let him do his recovery. It’s going slowly. Once he goes outside to train and is back again into sharp, hard work physically, you count five or six weeks. At the moment he is not there yet.

This isn't great news, as only Jack Wilshere can defeat Barcelona in the Champions League. It's some kind of rule.

Arsenal remain perilously short at the central midfield position, with injuries to Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin in particular dealing a blow. Mohamed Elneny could be helpful if that deal is in fact completed, but that's at least a week away and could be more (or it could totally collapse). Additionally, John Cross reports that Mathieu Flamini could miss the Bournemouch match with an ankle issue. Were that to be true, Arsenal could be left starting...[shuffles papers]...Calum Chambers in central midfield? What a time to be alive.