Arsenal Injury News: Saka, Gabriel, and Agyemang Updates

Arsenal’s 2025–26 season has been derailed by an injury crisis that has left Mikel Arteta without several key players during the most critical phase of the campaign. From ACL setbacks to recurring muscle complaints, the north London club has navigated a treatment room situation that has tested squad depth in ways few predicted.

Current injured players: 6+ confirmed cases · ACL/season-end injuries: 1 (Gabriel Jesus) · Players with April–November 2025 return targets: 5

Who is injured for Arsenal now?

Arsenal’s 2025–26 injury list spans several key players across different positions. The club entered a critical phase of the season facing both Champions League knockout ties and domestic league commitments, with availability already stretched thin.

Men’s first team

Six players carried documented injury concerns heading into the decisive phase of the campaign:

The table shows how Arsenal’s midfield and forward lines have been hit simultaneously. Odegaard’s knee problem, Saka’s Achilles issue, and Havertz’s muscle complaint all arrived within weeks of each other, forcing Arteta into frequent tactical reshuffles.

Additional players monitored

Riccardo Calafiori missed the squad against Bournemouth and did not train before the Sporting CP tie, with an estimated return also placed at April 19, 2026 against Manchester City. Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke appeared on the BeSoccer April 2026 tracking list with physical discomfort and leg complaints respectively, though neither was classified as a major absence.

“Missing four or five regular starters for several weeks significantly impacted Arsenal’s performance level.”

— Football.London

What is Saka’s injury?

Bukayo Saka’s primary fitness concern through early 2026 was an Achilles problem that persisted for several weeks. Unlike a sudden acute injury, the issue required careful load management rather than a specific traumatic incident.

Previous injury details

Football.London reported that Saka was managing an Achilles complaint that had lingered through March 2026. Arsenal’s medical staff targeted his return around April 19, 2026, for the Premier League fixture against Manchester City, with the understanding that the player needed to build up training volume gradually before full match fitness.

Return to full fitness

Arteta addressed Saka’s status directly, telling reporters that the winger had not suffered any new setback with his Achilles but that his return depended on how he responded as workload increased during training. The manager’s assessment was cautiously optimistic: the situation pointed to “days rather than weeks” before clearance.

“Saka had not suffered any new setback with his Achilles but that his return depended on how he responded as his workload increased, adding that it should be days rather than weeks.”

— Football.London (reporting on Mikel Arteta’s statement)

The pattern here matters: Saka’s Achilles concern was managed conservatively rather than rushed. Arteta’s preference for a measured build-up reflects Arsenal’s broader approach to soft-tissue injuries during a congested period where re-injury risk climbs sharply with premature returns.

How long will Gabriel be out for?

Gabriel Jesus’s situation differs markedly from the temporary soft-tissue complaints affecting teammates. His absence stems from a confirmed ACL injury to his left knee, the kind of injury that typically demands months rather than weeks of rehabilitation.

Arteta’s statement

While specific comments about Gabriel Jesus were not directly quoted in the verified sources, the Premier Injuries database confirmed the ACL diagnosis and assigned a potential return date of November 22, 2025. The timeline reflects the standard recovery window for an anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, regardless of how well a player progresses in physiotherapy.

Expected return date

With a November 22, 2025 return target, Gabriel Jesus would miss the entirety of the 2025-26 Premier League season’s first half and potentially the group stage of any European competition. The absence removes a forward option who had shown form before the injury, forcing Arsenal into the transfer market or internal promotion to cover the position.

What this means: the club faces a practical choice — pursue short-term attacking cover in the November 2025 window or trust youth options to carry the load until Gabriel Jesus is available in late November.

How did Merino’s injury happen?

Mikel Merino’s injury story is more clearly documented than most. The midfielder underwent surgery on a foot injury at the beginning of 2026, a procedure that signals the complaint was structural rather than muscular.

Post-surgery progress

Football.London reported that Merino had come out of his protective boot following the surgery and was performing extensive exercises as part of his rehabilitation. The player was described as making good physical progress, though the club maintained that a return before the end of the season remained unlikely.

“Merino had reacted excellently to the surgery, felt no pain and would push every limit to shorten his recovery period.”

— Football.London (reporting on Mikel Arteta’s assessment)

Recovery timeline

Sports Mole forecast Merino’s return for the final-day Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on May 24, 2026. That date represents approximately five months of recovery from surgery, consistent with the rehabilitation trajectory for foot injuries of this nature. Whether Merino is available for selection on that date depends on completing a full training build-up in the weeks leading up to it.

What is the full Arsenal injury list and return dates?

For readers tracking Arsenal’s squad health, the most useful frame is the cluster of April–May 2026 availability checkpoints that will determine how strong the squad looks for the run-in.

Men’s first team

Four players carry confirmed or estimated return dates within the next two months: Jurrien Timber (April 15, 2026), Bukayo Saka (April 19, 2026), Martin Odegaard (May 5, 2026), and Kai Havertz (May 5, 2026). Mikel Merino targets the season’s final match on May 24, 2026, while Gabriel Jesus is not expected back until November 22, 2025 at the earliest.

Declan Rice’s status remained officially unclear heading into the Sporting CP second leg, with Arteta declining to make predictions about his availability after Rice missed an open training session.

Where to track updates

Official Arsenal injury information appears on Arsenal.com under the News section’s Injury Update posts. The Premier League also maintains an availability register that clubs are required to update. For aggregated third-party tracking, Premier Injuries compiles injury types and estimated returns from club-adjacent sources, while Daily Cannon runs a dedicated Arsenal injury hub that refreshes as new information emerges.

The pattern: Arsenal’s injury picture shifts frequently during the 2026 run-in. Return dates published in March may look different by April, and players like Saka and Timber are being brought back incrementally rather than all at once. Anyone following this story closely should check update timestamps carefully — a date valid a week ago may no longer reflect current availability.

Timeline

Three players, three distinct trajectories — and one shared consequence: Arsenal’s squad depth has been tested in ways the club did not plan for.

The timeline illustrates a cascading return schedule rather than a single crisis point. Arsenal did not lose everyone at once — the injuries arrived in waves across February through May 2026. The cumulative effect, however, was similar: the squad that started the season capable of competing on four fronts found itself rationing minutes across a depleted roster by mid-April.

Confirmed facts and uncertainties

The research confidence for this article is low, which means some claims carry more certainty than others. Here’s how the key facts break down.

The pattern across tier 2 sources is consistent on the headline facts — Odegaard’s knee, Saka’s Achilles, Merino’s foot surgery — but diverges on specificity. Sports Mole assigns specific return dates while Football.London often cites Arteta’s cautious non-committal language. The discrepancy reflects how clubs manage information: return dates are estimates, not guarantees.

What people are saying

“I did not want to make any predictions on Declan Rice’s availability. He has played many games and we need to see how he feels the following day.”

— Mikel Arteta, reported by Football.London

“Merino had reacted excellently to the surgery, felt no pain and would push every limit to shorten his recovery period.”

— Mikel Arteta, reported by Football.London

“Saka had not suffered any new setback with his Achilles but his return depended on how he responded as his workload increased — it should be days rather than weeks.”

— Mikel Arteta, reported by Football.London

Arteta’s public comments consistently avoid hard commitments on return dates. The pattern — “need to see how he feels,” “dependent on response,” “days rather than weeks” — reflects a manager conscious that early returns often backfire. Arsenal’s medical staff appear to have Arteta’s ear on these decisions, even when press conferences invite firmer timelines.