Recent injury woes have put a massive dent in Arsenal’s title hopes. Although they still managed to earn three points with a depleted squad against strugglers Leicester City, the Gunners only picked up a single point across games with West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
This latest recent slip-up saw the north London outfit fall 13 points behind league leaders Liverpool. Even though Arne Slot’s men have played an extra match, it is hard to see them being caught. If Arsenal are to have any hope, they will need an incredibly strong finish to the campaign. For this to happen they will need all their best players back so let us look at the current injury situation.
Recently Returned
We’re all with you, Ben ❤️
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) November 30, 2022
The injury situation at Arsenal has improved slightly of late thanks to the return of one senior player who had been out since mid-November.
Ben White
Even though he did not make an appearance, Arsenal fans were happy to see Ben White named among the substitutes during the 2-0 win over Leicester. The Englishman has enjoyed two brief cameos since then but may find it hard to work his way back into the starting eleven given Arsenal’s depth in defence. Still, it is a nice problem for Mikel Arteta to have and it will allow for rotation when the Champions League matches return.
Still Missing
Arsenal’s worst fears come true following Kai Havertz’s training injuryhttps://t.co/czDTHZkBQu
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) February 13, 2025
Despite White’s return, Arsenal are still missing five senior players. While not a particularly large tally, the issue is that the injuries have been concentrated in attacking areas, where the Gunners have little depth.
Bukayo Saka
- Injury: Hamstring
- Injury Start: 21st December
- Expected Return: Early April
If Arsenal had to choose one player to suffer a serious injury, Bukayo Saka would be very low down on the list. Before his lengthy lay-off, the 23-year-old had been a source of much of Arsenal’s attacking output. Across 16 league appearances, he had registered five goals and 10 assists – nearly a goal contribution a game.
There were some concerns that Saka may miss the entire campaign following his hamstring tear but his recovery has been progressing well. The expectation is that the Englishman will return following the international break in March. This could see him return for the home fixture against Fulham or the away trip to Everton. He will likely be eased back into action but by around mid-April, Saka could be back to playing full matches.
Gabriel Martinelli
- Injury: Hamstring
- Injury Start: 5th February
- Expected Return: Early April
Arsenal are set for a double boost in early April as alongside Saka, fellow winger Gabriel Martinelli is set to make his comeback. The Brazilian’s hamstring trouble is less severe but is still expected to sideline him for two months. Although he had not been in his best form before the injury, Arsenal would have certainly enjoyed having his services in recent weeks given their limited attacking options.
Gabriel Jesus
- Injury: Knee (ACL)
- Injury Start: 12th January
- Expected Return: Next Season
Opportunities for Gabriel Jesus had been limited this season but a hat-trick in the League Cup saw him rewarded with a rare league start against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The Brazilian seized the chance, scoring a brace during a 5-1 win. Although he blanked against Ipswich the following game, he found the net shortly after, scoring one goal in the 3-1 victory over Brentford.
Having regained some favour with Mikel Arteta, this is when disaster struck. The Brazilian was subbed off injured before half-time in the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United. The problem looked serious and that proved to be the case. The club soon confirmed the Brazilian had torn his ACL and would miss the rest of the campaign.
Kai Havertz
- Injury: Knee (ACL)
- Injury Start: 11th February
- Expected Return: Summer
He may not be a centre forward by trade, or a particular clinical player, but Kai Havertz leading the line was working for Arsenal. He still is comfortably the club’s top goalscorer this campaign thanks to his tally of 15 (with nine in the league), despite missing the last few matches. Fan opinion on the German is divided but one thing that is under no dispute is how much more toothless the Gunners look without him.
Now lacking any options to play centrally in the attack, Mikel Arteta has had to turn to midfielder Mikel Merino. Although the Spaniard netted twice against Leicester, Arsenal mustered just three shots on target across the following two league matches. Havertz’s absence is a major one and it will be felt for the remainder of the campaign. Martinelli may take up the central role when he returns but until then, Arsenal have no options with any real experience playing as a number nine.
Takehiro Tomiyasu
- Injury: Knee
- Injury Start: October
- Expected Return: Next Season
The only player on Arsenal’s treatment table who isn’t an attacking player is Tomiyasu. Although he would not be a regular start if fit, the Japanese international would have prevented Thomas Partey covering at right back. The 26-year-old has not featured since a brief cameo in October and will be out for a very long time having undergone knee surgery in February.
Current Strongest Starting Eleven
(4-3-3) Raya – Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori – Odegaard, Partey, Rice – Nwaneri, Merino, Trossard
Transfer Window Gamble Backfires
Almost all clubs would be harmed by having four senior attacking players out injured but Arsenal have felt it more than most due to their refusal, or inability, to sign a striker. Even in the summer, fans were calling out for the club to sign a natural number nine but nobody was brought in. Arteta managed without fine for the first half of the campaign and the transfer window was back open when Gabriel Jesus was ruled out for the rest of the season.
With Saka and Jesus sidelined for a significant period, it looked as though Arsenal had to move for another forward in January, ideally a central player. They placed a token late bid for Ollie Watkins, but there was no way Villa were going to let him leave for £60m with John Duran already out the door.
The optimistic perspective is that Arsenal have a big target in mind but one that will have to wait for the summer transfer window. Due to this, they did not want to waste money signing someone for what would be just a half-a-season stopgap. A loan would have been a cheaper way of doing this but finding an available player who was good enough would have been a difficult task. Whether this is the current plan or not, it seems clear that Arsenal must bolster their attack in the summer if they are to give themselves a chance of winning the Premier League in the coming seasons.