Martin Odegaard absence for Arsenal vs Chelsea explained as Mikel Arteta gives update

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has provided an injury update on Martin Odegaard ahead of the Premier League clash against Chelsea

Mikel Arteta has explained why Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is absent from the squad to face Chelsea in the Premier League. The Gunners boss also explained the decision to include Kai Havertz after his recent injury issues.

Ahead of kick-off, he said: "Well, Kai trained really well and he's fit and available, and unfortunately Martin is still not feeling totally comfortable with that knee injury, and we decided not to risk him.”

The Norway international suffered the issue during a 2-2 draw against Brentford last month. He has made one cameo appearance since then with it clear the problem is still plaguing him.

Several minor injury problems this season have prevented Odegaard from building consistency with Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka and Havertz all having filled in.

Shoulder and knee issues saw Odegaard complete 90 minutes just once before December with the 27-year-old missing six games and going off injured in two of those.

Unfortunately for Odegaard, he has not been able to fully get over small injuries in 2026 despite registering five goal contributions over January and December.

A muscular injury saw him miss the 3-0 win over Sunderland and after coming off the bench in the following game, Odegaard picked up another knee problem.

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