The Italian media has reported about the Arsenal player’s injury. Arsenal’s defender Riccardo Calafiori has been out for quite some time now. The Italian defender was injured on the 27th of December and has stayed away from the pitch since then. Arsenal’s coach Mikel Arteta is yet to give an official date for the return of the defender. Although there is no official date for his return, several rumors are all over the internet about the Italian defender’s return. With tough fixtures coming for the league leaders, the presence of Calafiori is very important for the Spanish coach Mikel Arteta. It would be interesting to see when the player returns.
Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal’s upcoming schedule will be a “challenge”, but one that they are up for. The Gunners beat Brighton 2-1 on Saturday to remain at the top of the Premier League table, staying ahead of both Manchester City and Aston Villa. Arsenal have won nine of their last 10 Premier League home games (D1), including the last six in a row. It is their longest winning home run since a run of 10 between April and December 2022. They will finish the calendar year on Tuesday by hosting in-form Villa. Who beat Chelsea on Saturday, before a busy month in January. Arsenal are scheduled to play nine games in the opening month of 2026. Including league fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester United. The first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final at Chelsea, and a Champions League fixture against Inter. Gabriel Magalhaes returned from the bench for the Gunners against Brighton, but the club left Jurrien Timber out of the squad before Riccardo Calafiori aggravated an injury during the warm-up. City and Villa are both within touching distance of Arsenal, but Arteta insisted he focuses only on his own side.
Arsenal’s injury concerns have carried into the New Year, with defender Riccardo Calafiori remaining sidelined and unlikely to return immediately. According to club updates and trusted Arsenal sources. The Italian international was absent from Arsenal’s 3-2 Premier League victory over Bournemouth on Saturday as he continues his recovery from an injury sustained late last month. Calafiori picked up the issue during the warm-up ahead of the Gunners’ December 27 clash with Brighton. With manager Mikel Arteta later describing the setback as “very awkward” and confirming the player was not fit enough to feature. Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport has at least revealed the nature of the injury. Claiming Calafiori has a muscle injury. But even they don’t seem to know when the defender might be back. Arsenal has a run of games coming up of varying importance. With a key Premier League clash against reigning champions Liverpool on Thursday followed by an FA Cup third-round tie against lower-league Portsmouth on Sunday. Arteta will presumably go strong in next week’s League Cup semi-final first leg away to Chelsea. After that the Gunners take on 17th-placed Nottingham Forest that weekend.
🚨NEW | Team News | Arsenal vs Liverpool
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that defenders Cristhian Mosquera (ankle) and Riccardo Calafiori (muscular issue) are ruled out for tomorrow's Premier League clash against Liverpool at the Emirates.
A significant blow to our backline depth as… pic.twitter.com/kcgI4WYo7O
— Arsenal Team (@_ArsenalTeam) January 7, 2026
Fan’s reaction
The injury updates have relieved the Arsenal fans, as their club has very tight fixtures ahead of them. Declan Rice’s comeback has given them a huge boost, and now they can’t wait for their injured players to come back. Although the players still need some time to come back to their top form, the fans are confident that they can overcome this situation. Social media is full of reports of the player’s return dates.
Author’s insight
From the author’s point of view, the return of Calafiori will be a huge boost for the coach and the management. Arsenal needs their defender as soon as possible with the tight fixtures coming.
As featured on GoonerNews.com