Arsenal FC injury update: Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Ben White latest news and return dates

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Arsenal injury update: Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Ben White latest news and return dates

Gunners are dealing with plenty of fitness issues ahead of Premier League return

Arsenal’s injury concerns are showing no signs of easing up

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Tashan Deniran-Alleyne

2 minutes ago

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Arsenal are just days away from resuming their Premier League campaign at home to Nottingham Forest.

The Gunners will be keen on returning to winning ways at the Emirates Stadium after going down 1-0 away at title rivals Liverpool before the international break, losing their 100 per cent start to the new campaign in the process.

Already without Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Christian Norgaard and Gabriel Jesus for the trip to Anfield, Arsenal’s injury curse struck again inside the opening five minutes when William Saliba was forced off with an ankle problem.

As a result, the Frenchman is now a massive doubt for the visit of Forest - now managed by former Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou - on Saturday, but the good news is that Arsenal appear to have come through the international break unscathed.

Captain Martin Odegaard proved his fitness with Norway, Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli were rested for Brazil’s final World Cup qualifier, Riccardo Calafiori did not feature in Italy’s second fixture and Deadline Day signing Piero Hincapie is in line for a debut.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the latest Arsenal injury news.

William Saliba

The Frenchman twisted his ankle during the warm-up at Anfield before international break, but tried to play though the issue before limping off after only five minutes and replaced by summer signing Cristhian Mosquera.

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He subsequently withdrew from the France squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland. French publication L’Equipe have since reported that Saliba is set to miss three or four weeks of action.

Injury blow: William Saliba

REUTERS

If true, then the centre-back could miss a total of seven Arsenal games between now and after the next international break, including against the likes of Athletic Club, Manchester City, Newcastle, Olympiacos and West Ham.

Potential return date: October 2025

Bukayo Saka

One of two negatives from Arsenal’s 5-0 thrashing of Leeds last month was the sight of Saka pulling up following a sprint and clutching his hamstring early in the second half.

Mikel Arteta confirmed after the game his fears that the injury could be “significant”.

He said: “For Bukayo to come off, for sure it looks like something that is significant.

Saka underwent further assessment amid reports that he faces up to a month out. With games against Manchester City and Newcastle looming, Arsenal will be hopeful the winger’s return is not too far away.

Potential return date: September 21, 2025 vs Man City (H)

Ben White

The right-back has not featured for Arsenal since coming off early in the win over Manchester United across the opening weekend of the new season.

This means he missed out against Leeds and Liverpool which meant he was denied a potential return to the England squad for the World Cup qualification double-header against Andorra and Serbia.

Though Standard Sport understands he is hoping to return for Saturday’s visit of Forest to the Emirates in a nice boost for Arteta.

Potential return date: September 13, 2025 vs Brentford (H)

Christian Norgaard

Arsenal’s summer signing is yet to make his debut for the club after missing the opening day win over Man United, the 5-0 thrashing of Leeds and then the 1-0 loss to Liverpool.

The good news for Christian Norgaard is that he should be fit enough to return to action very soon, potentially against Forest.

“Christian won't be in the squad,” Arteta said ahead of the Leeds match. “Christian will be out for another week or so.”

Potential return date: September 13, 2025 vs Brentford (H)

Doubtful: Christian Norgaard

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Kai Havertz

Kai Havertz was ruled out of Arsenal’s Premier League clash against Leeds after complaining of discomfort in his knee.

It has since been revealed that the German required minor surgery to correct the issue.

The club are optimistic that Havertz will 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.

Potential return date: Unknown

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.

Arteta recently said: “Gabi is doing super well. I think he looks in a really good place. Obviously, it’s a massive injury, and we need to come from that in a really strong way, but certainly he’s in the right place and making very strong strides.”

Potential return date: Autumn 2025

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