The Brazilian sustained the problem in his right ankle during the club's loss to Olympiakos last week.
The Gunners have now confirmed that the 28-year-old will undergo surgery to correct the complaint, keeping him out until March.
Santos will have the operation back in his native Brazil.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Liverpool | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 48 | 20 | 28 | 47 |
| 2 | Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest | 21 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 41 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 39 | 18 | 21 | 40 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 21 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 41 | 26 | 15 | 37 |
| 5 | Newcastle UnitedNewcastle | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 34 | 22 | 12 | 35 |
| 6 | Manchester CityMan City | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 29 | 9 | 35 |
| 7 | Bournemouth | 21 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 32 | 25 | 7 | 34 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 20 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 30 | 32 | -2 | 32 |
| 9 | Fulham | 21 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 32 | 30 | 2 | 30 |
| 10 | Brentford | 21 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 40 | 37 | 3 | 28 |
| 11 | Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton | 20 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 30 | 29 | 1 | 28 |
| 12 | West Ham UnitedWest Ham | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 27 | 41 | -14 | 26 |
| 13 | Tottenham HotspurSpurs | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 42 | 30 | 12 | 24 |
| 14 | Manchester UnitedMan Utd | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 28 | -5 | 23 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 20 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 28 | -7 | 21 |
| 16 | Everton | 19 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 25 | -10 | 17 |
| 17 | Wolverhampton WanderersWolves | 20 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 31 | 45 | -14 | 16 |
| 18 | Ipswich TownIpswich | 20 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 | 35 | -15 | 16 |
| 19 | Leicester CityLeicester | 20 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 23 | 44 | -21 | 14 |
| 20 | Southampton | 20 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 12 | 44 | -32 | 6 |
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