Arsenal Injuries: Four Changes Mikel Arteta Has to Make on Premier League Return

An extended international break has offered Mikel Arteta plenty of time to ruminate over Arsenal’s emphatic defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sept. 19.

It had been a borderline procession at the start of the Gunners’ title defense, with those who projected Arteta’s men to waltz to a retention of their crown feeling rather smug after a gritty 2–0 victory at Sunderland maintained a 100% start to the Premier League season through four games.

But Brighton’s beatdown of the champions manifested a fallibility that few had expected. In one fell swoop, Arsenal’s credentials were questioned. The most neurotic supporters suddenly feared that not enough had been done in the summer to resist the pushes of their volatile contenders.

“This can’t happen again,” Arteta asserted post-match, and the Spaniard, who recently signed a contract extension with the Gunners that makes him the highest-paid manager in the division, has ample opportunities for rectification before the next break.

However, Arsenal’s quest to rid themselves of shuddering Seagull-inflicted memories will be made tougher by several injury casualties. The break hasn’t been kind to the Gunners, and Arteta will be forced into multiple personnel changes when Leeds United visit Emirates Stadium this Saturday.

Arsenal’s Injury List After International Break

Player	Injury	Status for Leeds Match
Ezri Konsa	Dead leg	Doubt
Christos Tzolis	Hamstring	Out—expected to be available in late October
Kai Havertz	Hamstring	Out—sidelined for weeks
Max Dowman	Contact injury	Available
Declan Rice	Hamstring/load management	Available
Cristhian Mosquera	Hamstring	Available
William Saliba	Back	Out—sidelined until December
Ben White	Groin	Available

Arsenal entered the break with William Saliba out for the long haul due to a back issue, while Ben White had sustained a groin injury during the victory at Sunderland. Thomas Tuchel bemoaned the right back’s absence and then had to deal with Declan Rice’s withdrawal for England’s opening four 2026–27 UEFA Nations League matches.

Rice has been suffering with neural pain in his hamstring throughout 2026. After he started all but one of the Three Lions’ World Cup outings in the summer off the back of a 55-game season with Arsenal, load management is being prioritized at the start of the new campaign.

The midfielder spent much of the break in Dubai, and is expected to be available for Leeds’ visit on Saturday. White should also be back in action after he was spotted in training pictures last week.

Then come the casualties.

Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis both sustained hamstring injuries while playing for Germany and Greece, respectively. There have been positive updates following scans, but the pair are set to be sidelined for the next couple of weeks. Returns could be on the cards before the end of October.

Ezri Konsa was also forced to withdraw from the England camp after sustaining a dead leg. The setback isn’t serious, and the defender could be available this weekend. However, Arteta should have Cristhian Mosquera to call upon for the first time since Matchday 2. The Spanish center back has recovered from a hamstring problem sustained in August.

Teenage starlet Max Dowman was in action for England’s U-19s during the break, picking up a red card in its victory over the U.S. Dowman was unavailable for the final match against Belgium after suffering a contact injury, but the issue is unlikely to sideline him this weekend.

How Mikel Arteta Can Replace Potential Absentees

Viktor Gyökeres scored in all four of Sweden’s games during the extended break. | Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images

Arteta believed that the depth of his roster would allow his team to compete fiercely on multiple fronts last season, and he certainly wasn’t wrong. After securing a first Premier League title in 22 years, Arsenal took Paris Saint-Germain the distance in the Champions League final before losing in a penalty shootout.

And while a superstar addition to the attack wasn’t made in the summer, the club made a huge midfield signing in Bruno Guimarães and further bolstered its defense with the arrival of Konsa. If there’s any club capable of dealing with a litany of injury setbacks, it’s Arteta’s Arsenal.

However, Arsenal’s scrutinized frontline will be hindered by the absences of Havertz and Tzolis. While Bukayo Saka made it through the break unscathed, Arteta will likely pivot to Viktor Gyökeres to replace Havertz up front and be forced to fit a square peg in a round hole down the left.

With Gabriel Martinelli departing for Saudi Arabia and Vinícius Júnior signing a contract extension at Real Madrid, Arteta has limited options behind Tzolis. Eberechi Eze has been used there without much impact since he joined the club, while Noni Madueke primarily functions off the right but could offer a direct, straight-line running threat on the opposite flank.

In defense, Arteta won’t hesistate in returning Mosquera alongside Gabriel if Konsa isn’t fit. White can also share the load with Jurriën Timber at right back.

Timber’s minutes are being carefully managed by Arsenal and the Dutch national team after undergoing groin surgery in the summer.

How Arsenal Will Line Up After International Break

Given their injury situation, Arteta will likely be forced into four changes from the defeat at Brighton when an impressive Leeds team visit north London this weekend.

While Rice should be fit to partner Guimarães, who travelled to Australia and India during the break, in midfield, supporters will head into Saturday’s clash concerned about their projected attack.

Saka is still feeling his way into the season; Gyökeres had been entrusted with just 207 minutes across all competitions before the break and Eze seldom looks comfortable down the left. However, Gyökeres at least returns to London Colney after scoring four in four for Sweden during the break.

The bullish center forward will be tested by a stringent Leeds defense that has conceded the joint-fewest goals (three) and fifth-lowest xG (6.46) in the top flight through five games. If Tarik Muharemović & Co. shun the Swede, Mikel Merino lurks in the shadows.

Data from Opta.

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