MY ACCOUNT
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta described the horrific head injury suffered by Wolves striker Raul Jimenez at Emirates Stadium in November 2020 as among the scariest moments of his career, ahead of the Mexican’s first return to the ground since his recovery.
Jimenez suffered a fractured skull in a sickening collision with David Luiz just minutes into Wolves’ trip to Arsenal last season, which the visitors went on to win 2-1, returning to action with a protective headband eight months later.
Jimenez has hit five league goals for Bruno Lage’s outfit since his comeback, and the Midlands club would go above Arsenal in the Premier League table with a repeat of last season’s win, as the two clubs battle for European qualification.
On the eve of the Gunners’ crucial meeting with Lage’s team, Arteta looked back on a worrying moment for all concerned.
“I have had others, but that was one of them,” the 39-year-old responded when asked if it ranked among the scariest moments of his career.
“Straight away you saw the reaction, the anxiety that was suddenly in the team doctors and everybody involved trying to assess what was happening, it was frightening.
“Thank god it ended the right way, but it looked really, really bad.”
Arteta also revealed that his club remained in constant contact with Jimenez during his long recovery, as did the since departed David Luiz, who struggled in the aftermath of the incident.
“Of course, we were [in contact with Jimenez] and David was as well, because he was directly involved, he was really affected by that.
“We are colleagues in the end. We share the same profession and industry. When something like that happens, you are emotionally involved.
“In the case of Raul, it was a really scary moment. Thanks to the medical team, they probably saved [him from] something that could have been much worse.”
Arsenal are looking to extend a four-game winning run in the Premier League when they host Lage’s in-form team, and have lost only one of their last 10 home league games against the Molineux outfit (W5 D4), although that defeat did come on Wolves’ last trip to the Emirates.
Jimenez, meanwhile, will be looking to carry over the form he has displayed from recent trips to another part of north London, netting in his last three visits to Arsenal’s neighbours Tottenham, after Wolves’ 2-0 win there earlier this month.
