Ben White forced to undergo surgery in latest blow to Arsenal's title challenge as defender faces WEEKS on the sidelines

White has missed a series of games for Arsenal in recent weeks, including the Premier League clashes with Leicester City and Southampton and last month's Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain. The defender pushed through the pain to complete 90 minutes against Inter and Chelsea, but he underwent a minor procedure this week to address the problem he'd been dealing with.

According to football.london, White has been nursing a knee injury that also meant he started on the bench for the recent defeat to Newcastle. "It’s a little issue so we have to protect him," Mikel Arteta said at the time. He's now set to spend roughly eight weeks on the sidelines, according to Con Harrison, in another blow to Arsenal's title aspirations.

The international break comes at an ideal time for an Arsenal side winless in their last four league games and dealing with a growing injury list. Fellow defenders Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney are also out, while Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka had to be withdrawn during the draw to Chelsea and will miss England duty.

The 1-1 draw to Chelsea left the Gunners fourth in the Premier League, nine points behind leaders Liverpool. Arteta will hope to have some of his injured stars back when they take on Nottingham Forest on November 23.