Rice, Calafiori, Havertz - Latest Arsenal injury news and return dates after Aston Villa win

Arsenal had several players on the sidelines with injury for their Premier League win over Aston Villa including Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Kai Havertz

Arsenal are continuing to deal with several players on the sidelines with injuries after their win over Aston Villa. The Gunners claimed a 4-1 victory over Villa in the Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Mikel Arteta’s side moved five points clear of Manchester City with the victory over Villa, but have now played one game more than their title rivals.

Four players missed Arsenal’s win over Villa, with Declan Rice, Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori and Max Dowman all on the sidelines.

Arsenal did welcome back Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and Ben White to their matchday squad for the win over Villa, with all three players previously spending time on the sidelines with injury.

Here, football.london takes a look at Arsenal’s current injury list and potential return dates.

Declan Rice

Declan Rice missed Arsenal’s win over Villa with a knee injury he picked up during the previous match against Brighton.

Arteta stated that Rice’s injury is “improving” but did not give a timeframe for a return.

“Depends, so that swelling has to come right down for him to have the chance to function,” Arteta said. “He wasn't able to do that today yet, he's improving, but let's see what happens in the next couple of days.”

Potential return date: Bournemouth (A) - January 3

Cristhian Mosquera

Cristhian Mosquera has been sidelined for several weeks with an injury, which Arteta stated earlier this month was more severe than initially expected.

"He's going to be out for weeks,” Arteta said on December 6. “Unfortunately, it's much more than what we expected. But the player was feeling it, so he's going to be out for weeks."

Potential return date: January 2026

Riccardo Calafiori

Riccardo Calafiori has missed Arsenal’s last two matches with an unspecified injury, having initially been named in the matchday squad to face Brighton.

Calafiori picked up the injury during the warm-up ahead of the match against the Seagulls, and it remains to be seen when the defender will return.

"It's something that he felt yesterday [Friday], something very awkward that happened, and today in the warm-up he wasn’t comfortable."

Potential return date: January 2026

Kai Havertz

Kai Havertz had spent more than four months on the sidelines with an injury he picked up in August.

The Germany international made his long-awaited return to the Arsenal squad for the win over Villa, where he was an unused substitute.

Potential return date: Bournemouth (A) - January 3

Max Dowman

Max Dowman suffered an ankle injury earlier this month and is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Reports have stated that Dowman will be unavailable for around two months while he recovers from the injury.

Potential return date: February 2026