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Europa League final: Arsenal 'hugely concerned' over Henrikh Mkhitaryan potentially missing Chelsea showdown
Tough decisions await Arsenal as they consider whether to bring Henrikh Mkhitaryan to the Europa League final in Azerbaijan.
The Gunners confirmed their place in the second-tier European competition’s final by beating Valencia 7-3 on aggregate.
They will meet London rivals Chelsea in Baku’s Olympic Stadium, who defeated Eintracht Frankfurt in the same stage on penalties.
But Mkhitaryan, who has played a supporting role this season for the Gunners, may miss out on the trip.
The former Manchester United playmaker is Armenian, and there are no diplomatic relations between them and the hosts of the European final.
He would need a visa in order to play, and as a result, the diminutive forward may miss out.
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Arsenal admit they are ‘hugely concerned’ about Mkhitaryan potentially missing the Europa League final because of the continuing tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Hostility remains over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh region, where a ceasefire was declared in 1994 after fighting erupted several years earlier.
Arsenal said in a statement: “The safety and security of our players is of paramount importance.
“We are seeking guarantees from UEFA that it will be safe for Henrikh Mkhitaryan to travel to Baku for the Europa League Final, which both Arsenal and Micki require for him to be included within our squad.
“Acceptable guarantees have not been received yet, and we hope that UEFA will be able to supply these promptly. We are of course hugely concerned that the location of the final could lead to Micki not being able to play in a European final.”
The former Borussia Dortmund man has missed out on trips to the same country in recent years, both with the Bundesliga side and earlier this season when the Gunners travelled to Qarabag.
On that occasion, the coach of the hosts insisted the 30-year-old could not cope with the ‘pressure’ of Azerbaijan supporters.
He said at the time: “If Henrikh Mkhitaryan would come to Azerbaijan it is not the first time - a lot of Armenian sportsmen came to Azerbaijan but it is the choice of Arsenal that they didn't send him.
"Arsenal may be afraid that in front of 60,000 Azerbaijani fans, Mkhitaryan has some pressure and that is why they didn't send Mkhitaryan."
Additional reporting by PA.
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