Arteta has confirmed that Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori remain sidelined, with Rice having joined them on the treatment table. Arsenal’s fitness issues are, however, beginning to ease.
At one stage in November, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz were all ruled out. Arteta said of coming through those struggles in a positive place: “That is the reality of the sport we play. But looking back in the last three seasons, we have less days of injuries than before. So it’s how you look at it. If you separate the traumatic ones and the ones that are minor injuries. We have to improve, but we are better than some of the years.”
Havertz is close to coming back into contention alongside Brazilian forward Jesus, who has been among the goals again since recovering from knee ligament damage. Returning stars are akin to new signings for Arsenal, with Arteta happy with his options.
That could lead to him steering clear of the January transfer market, with the Spaniard saying when asked again about recruitment plans early in 2026: “We are open to every option. If we can find a solution that is short, medium and long it’s always much better because it gives you stability and you don’t have to constantly start a process with a new player. Let’s see what happens in the next few weeks.”