Arsenal injury update: William Saliba, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard latest news and return dates

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Evening Standard

·27 de outubro de 2025

Arsenal injury update: William Saliba, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard latest news and return dates

Four new fitness concerns as the Gunners go four points clear

Arsenal beat Crystal Palace to open up a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Vídeos OneFootball

Eberechi Eze netted the only goal of the game against his former club as the Gunners took full advantage of Liverpool and Manchester City falling to defeats over the weekend.

However, the win has been marred by a fresh quadruple injury scare.

The north London outfit have not had much luck on the fitness front this season as they were already without a host of senior players for the visit of Palace.

Now manager Mikel Arteta will be hopeful of some positive news as he prepares his side for a home game against Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

William Saliba

While it was centre-back partner Gabriel whose fitness was under question ahead of the game, Saliba ended the day with a fitness concern of his own.

Saliba started alongside Gabriel on Sunday afternoon but was replaced at half-time, despite showing few signs of discomfort.

After the game, Arteta confirmed the issue but was unable to elaborate further. He told reporters: "Willy obviously had to be out after the first half ... there are two things related to his substitution.”

Arsenal are back in action at home to Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, so Arteta will provide a further update on Saliba - and three other issues from the win over Crystal Palace - on Tuesday.

Potential return date: Unknown

Forced off: Declan Rice

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Declan Rice

Shortly afterwards, Declan Rice had to be withdrawn during the second half after picking up a knock.

As Mikel Arteta was organising other substitutes at the time, the head coach was forced into a quick change and introduced Mikel Merino.

Speaking after the game, Arteta said: “Declan as well was struggling from the first half with a knock that he took ... with Declan, I don't really know because it was a knock.

"But I don't know if it was the calf or the Achilles or what exactly it was."

Rice was able to walk onto the pitch at full-time to celebrate the victory.

Potential return date: Unknown

Riccardo Calafiori

Riccardo Calafiori was another forced off during the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, coming off at the same time as Rice, after picking up a knock.

Arteta has little to say on the matter after the game, beyond acknowledging the late substitution.

Potential return date: Unknown

Gabriel Martinelli

Gabriel Martinelli replaced Bukayo Saka on 66 minutes and saw out the victory, but was spotted hobbling down the tunnel after the game.

Asked by reporters if Martinelli was OK, Arteta said: “Yeah, I think so.

“We have to check that one. He was a bit uncomfortable. He said he felt something. We don’t know whether it’s a muscular issue or not. Tomorrow we’ll have more news.”

Potential return date: Unknown

Sidelined: Martin Odegaard

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Martin Odegaard

Odegaard has had no luck with injuries so far this season. After making a full recovery from a troublesome shoulder problem, disaster struck for the Arsenal captain against West Ham.

Substituted once again in the first half, it was later confirmed by the club that the midfielder suffered a medial collateral ligament injury.

Odegaard, himself, has revealed why a return date can’t be set at the moment.

“It’s tricky to set a return date with this type of injury because, especially it being my left leg, a lot depends on how it goes when I start getting back on the pitch,” he said.

“Sometimes it can be quite sore when you start passing the ball and shooting and all these things with that leg, so it’s really hard to say a date.

“All I can say is I'm progressing really well at the moment. I think we will know more when I start getting back on the training pitches and we'll see how that goes. If that goes really well then it can be quick.”

Potential return date: November 23, 2025 vs Tottenham (H)

Noni Madueke

The summer signing from Chelsea was enjoying an impressive start to life at Arsenal, but suffered a setback in the draw against Manchester City.

Withdrawn at half-time because of a knee complaint, fortunately scans the next day showed Noni Madueke had not suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

While the injury is not too serious, Arteta has said he expects to be without the winger for a number of weeks.

Sidelined: Noni Madueke

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“It looks like he is going to be out for a few weeks,” the Gunners manager told reporters. “We don’t really know yet. Probably we are going to have to scan him next week again.

“He felt something at the beginning of the match. He tried to carry on and at half-time it was too sore, so let’s see.”

Potential return date: November 2025

Kai Havertz

Kai Havertz has not featured for Arsenal since a second half substitute appearance in the win over Manchester United on the opening weekend of the new season.

After complaining of discomfort in his knee, the German international required minor surgery to correct the issue.

The club have been optimistic that Havertz would be sidelined for a period of weeks rather than months, with Arteta saying “many, many weeks” in his last update before the defeat at Liverpool back in August.

If all goes to plan, Arsenal’s No29 could be available for selection again before the next international break.

Potential return date: November 2025

Gabriel Jesus

Gabriel Jesus last featured for Arsenal in January’s FA Cup third round loss to Man United on penalties.

The Brazilian has struggled with knee issues throughout his stint in N5, and was forced to undergo yet another surgery on a torn cruciate ligament.

Jesus has been keeping supporters updated regarding his progress throughout the summer, posting footage of himself back on grass in a significant update.

The Brazilian recently said: “Yeah, I'm feeling great, man. My knee's responding very well. So now I’m looking forward to being around the team again soon, to come back to do what I love to do. It’s been too long.

“An injury like this, one that is so long, you split up the recovery periods into smaller timings. So now I’m at the stage where I need to hold myself back a little bit, because I’m doing great work outside on the pitches, but it’s tricky because I need to not rush myself too hard over the line.

“When you can see the end, it’s important you don’t push too hard, keep my feet on the floor, and then as soon as the time comes, I will be ready.”

Potential return date: Late 2025