Arsenal are dealing with new injury concerns over some key players for the second international break in a row.
The Gunners previously saw influential captain Martin Odegaard ruled out during the September internationals, with Bukayo Saka now handing them a real scare after limping out of England’s disastrous 2-1 Nations League defeat by Greece at Wembley.
Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey had already withdrawn from international duty this week, with several other Arsenal injury issues already lingering to offer manager Mikel Arteta another unwelcome headache as they bid to keep the early stages of their latest Premier League title bid on track away at Bournemouth next weekend.
That trip to the south coast is followed by some huge games across all competitions in what is a busy end to October for Arsenal, who also host Shakhtar Donetsk in their third assignment in the new-look Champions League in addition to the small matter of an Emirates Stadium showdown with top-flight pacesetters Liverpool and a Carabao Cup last-16 contest against Preston.
Here is the latest Arsenal injury update, featuring a mix of new concerns and a flurry of players who could be back very soon.
Bukayo Saka
Saka started for England against Greece on Thursday night as one of five forwards in an experimental lineup that backfired disastrously for interim boss Lee Carsley.
However, he sustained an injury in the build-up to Vangelis Pavlidis’ first goal shortly after half-time at Wembley and made his way off gingerly after treatment, replaced by Chelsea winger Noni Madueke.
Asked for an update on Saka after the game, Carsley said: “He’s being assessed. In the build-up to the first goal, you could see he felt something in his leg."
Arsenal will be praying the injury to Saka is nothing serious, but it remains to be seen if he will be available against Bournemouth as things stand, after he dropped out of the England squad to play Finland on Sunday.
Potential return date: Unknown, pending further assessment
Kai Havertz
Havertz has been in superb form for Arsenal so far this season, scoring six goals already across all competitions including four in his last four appearances.
He netted and completed 90 minutes in last weekend’s 3-1 comeback league win over struggling Southampton at the Emirates, only to then withdraw from the Germany squad the next day for Nations League games against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Netherlands with a knee problem.
Like Saka, Arsenal would loathe to be without their in-form forward for any length of time, though Standard Sport understands that his withdrawal from international duty was precautionary and that the Gunners hope he will be fit straight after the break.
Potential return date: October 19, vs Bournemouth
Thomas Partey
Partey had to play as a makeshift right-back against Southampton due to injuries, completing 84 minutes seemingly without issue.
However, on Tuesday he withdrew from the Ghana squad for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Sudan with what the Ghanaian FA described initially only as “medical issues”.
Standard Sport understands that Partey has been dealing with illness and is expected to be fit when the Premier League returns next weekend.
Potential return date: October 19, vs Bournemouth
Martin Odegaard
The Gunners skipper has not played at all since the 1-1 Premier League draw with Brighton on August 31 after suffering ankle ligament damage described as “significant” while on Nations League duty with Norway last month.
Odegaard has subsequently sat out all of Arsenal’s last seven matches across all competitions, with Arteta pleased with his progress but reluctant to put an exact time frame on a potential return to action.
However, the player himself offered an encouraging update in his programme notes against Southampton, insisting his injury was healing quicker than expected and giving rise to hope that he could be back sooner than first thought.
Reports Odegaard has suffered a setback are wide of the mark.
While Bournemouth still feels like a potential long shot, Odegaard - who was filmed running on an anti-gravity treadmill this week - seems potentially on course for a return before the end of the month in what would be a massive boost with that colossal Liverpool showdown looming large on the horizon.
Potential return date: Late October
Ben White
White has missed Arsenal’s last four matches across all competitions since replacing Saka at half-time of last month’s dramatic last-gasp 2-2 draw with title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The versatile defender is dealing with a groin issue, though it appeared that Arteta gave him every chance of being fit to face Southampton.
While he ultimately missed out on selection again, the fact that the manager was content to make such a late decision on his fitness would surely suggest that White could be in contention against Bournemouth, having had another fortnight since then to work on his recovery.
Potential return date: October 19, vs Bournemouth
Jurrien Timber
Timber has demonstrated his own valuable versatility by shining at both right-back and left-back this season after missing almost the entirety of his maiden campaign in English football with a serious knee injury.
However, he has not been clear of knocks in the early going this term and was replaced at half-time of the landmark 2-0 Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain at the start of the month with an unspecified issue.
Timber is a similar case to White in that while he ended up missing out against Southampton, the fact that Arteta did not rule them both out until late in the day could mean that he is ready to return straight after the international break.
Potential return date: October 19, vs Bournemouth
Oleksandr Zinchenko
One player who is definitely expected back next weekend is Zinchenko, who, like Odegaard, has not featured since the Brighton draw as the result of a calf injury.
Arteta said before the Southampton win that he expects the Ukrainian to be in action again after the international break, provided he suffers no setbacks before then.
Potential return date: October 19, vs Bournemouth
Kieran Tierney
Tierney has been sidelined since being stretchered off with a serious hamstring injury during Scotland’s group stage meeting with Switzerland at Euro 2024 back in June.
Updates on his recovery have been few and far between since then, with no timeline for his potential return seemingly set.
Tierney is unlikely to play much of a role for Arsenal this season when fit anyway, with Arteta now having plenty of options at full-back and that latest injury likely to have prevented a permanent summer exit for the former Celtic star after he spent last season on loan in Spain with Real Sociedad.
Potential return date: Unknown
Neto
Arsenal’s summer signing is not injured, but it’s worth noting that he cannot play against parent club Bournemouth next weekend due to the terms of his season-long loan deal.
With No3 goalkeeper Tommy Setford also dealing with injury of late, 16-year-old Jack Porter - who made Arsenal history with his shock debut against Bolton in the Carabao Cup last month - could once again be called upon to provide cover for first-choice stopper David Raya against the Cherries.
