Arsenal injury update: Declan Rice and Riccardo Calafiori latest news and return dates | OneFootball

Plenty of good news for the Gunners, but a new worry

Declan Rice

The major new worry at the Emirates as 2025 drew to a close surrounded a knee issue picked up by Declan Rice.

Asked about Rice’s absence before Saturday’s match against Villa, Arteta revealed: “Declan got a big kick in his knee during the match [against Brighton], at the start of the match actually, and by the time he finished the match he had a massive swell up. The game [against Villa] was too early for him to be able to consider."

Rice attended Saturday’s match but watched on from the dugout

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

The Arsenal boss said he “thinks” it should be a short-term injury for Rice and that he hopes “when the swelling comes out he can function [and] he will be fine.”

Post-match, Arteta was quizzed on whether the 26-year-old would be fit for the weekend’s trip to Bournemouth and said it “depends”.

“That swelling has to come right down for him to have the chance to function,” he added. “[Rice] wasn't available to do that today yet. He's improving but let's see what it is in the next couple of days."

Potential return date: January 3 vs Bournemouth (A)

Riccardo Calafiori

The absence of Riccardo Calafiori against Villa was less of a surprise given the Italian defender had to withdraw from the starting line-up shortly before kick-off against Brighton a few days prior, with Myles Lewis-Skelly taking his place.

That was due to a flare up during the warm-up of a “very awkward” injury sustained in training before the game against the Seagulls, and the 23-year-old missing out on the matchday squad last time out surely throws his participation against Bournemouth into some doubt - particulary when both Lewis-Skelly and Piero Hincapie are capable of providing cover at left-back.

Potential return date: January 8 vs Liverpool (H)

Cristhian Mosquera

Meanwhile, fellow defender Cristhian Mosquera is expected to miss a few more games with what Arteta has called a “complicated” ankle injury.

No clear timeline has been placed on his return by Arsenal, but some reports indicate the summer arrival could be out of action until the middle of January.

“He's going to be out for weeks unfortunately, it's much more than what we expected,” Arteta said earlier in December.

Potential return date: January 2026

Max Dowman

Teenaged prodigy Max Dowman also picked up an ankle issue, injuring a ligament during a behind-closed-doors friendly against Manchester United a couple of weeks ago.

Arsenal aren’t expecting the issue to require surgery, but the Gunners have still taken him out of their Champions League squad and he could be on the side-lines until February at the earliest.

“With Max, unfortunately, he picked up an injury, so we did some scans and he is going to be out,” was the latest update from Arteta in early December

Potential return date: February 2026