Mikel Arteta has given an injury update on five Arsenal players heading into the second round of Premier League fixtures this season.
Like Liverpool, the Gunners began their 2025/26 title ambitions by collecting three points last week when they came away from Old Trafford with a 1-0 victory thanks to a Riccardo Calafiori header.
And like Arne Slot, Arteta is dealing with several new injuries heading into the weekend. Reports emerged on Wednesday that Kai Havertz is set for a period on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury - an issue that resulted in Arsenal’s decision to move for Eberechi Eze.
Havertz missed the majority of the second half of the 2024/25 season due to a hamstring problem, and while Arteta was giving little information away on Friday about the severity of the issue, the Spaniard confirmed the ex-Chelsea man won’t be available to face Leeds United on Saturday.
“We don’t really know yet the extent of it, I think we need a bit more time and some more tests, and after that we will have more clarity about the next steps,” said Arteta.
“I prefer not to talk about the specifics, but he’s not fit, as I said, and we need to explore that issue a little bit further and decide what we’re going to do.
“The worst scenario is that he cannot play tomorrow. I would love to have him fresh and available, bringing what he brings to the team, but unfortunately, that is not going to be possible.”
Arteta confirmed that summer signing Christian Norgaard is still absent, while Ben White, who was replaced against Manchester United, is a doubt.
“With Ben, let's see how he reacts and what we decide,” said the Arsenal head coach, while revealing fellow defender Jurrien Timber is not yet fully up to speed after undergoing ankle surgery in May.
“So on Jurrien, we have to manage his load. Obviously, he’s been out for a long time again and he comes from a long-term injury. We had a long week, we have to manage the load on that, so we have decided to take a little bit of training down.”
Therefore, summer arrival Cristhian Mosquera could make his debut at the Emirates on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Arteta was asked about Gabriel Jesus, who last played for the Gunners in January when he suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in an FA Cup tie against United.
“Gabi is doing super well. I think he looks in a really good place. Obviously, it’s a massive injury and we need to come from that in a really strong way, but certainly he’s in the right place and with very strong strides I think.”
Arsenal could end Saturday top of the Premier League table if it beats Leeds, although that will be dependent on the results of Manchester City and Sunderland, who also won their opening matches last week.