Arsenal defender William Saliba is reportedly dealing with an illness following the Gunners’ FA Cup fourth round win.
The Gunners beat League One strugglers Wigan Athletic 4-0 at the Emirates to book their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup. Goals came from Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus all in the first half to put to bed the cup tie.
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Mikel Arteta will now focus on the Gunners’ next game which comes against Wolves, who are bottom of the Premier League table. The game on Wednesday could extend Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to seven points with a win.
However, defender William Saliba may miss the game, as he is reportedly dealing with an illness, after he was taken off during the FA Cup win against Wigan. He is currently being assessed ahead of the match on Wednesday.
Expected return date – Wednesday 18 February vs Wolves (A)
Max Dowman
15-year-old midfielder Max Dowman is now very close to making a return as he has been out of action since early December with an ankle injury that he suffered whilst playing for the U18s side.
Arteta provided an update before the Wigan match, saying that he wasn’t back just yet. The Arsenal boss said: “Max is still not available. The rest, we will see when we make the medical meeting.
“He’s doing very well. I think he will be with us in a week or so, and then he just needs to pick up the rhythm and be available for us.”
Expected return date – Sunday 22 February vs Tottenham (A)
Kai Havertz
German attacker Havertz was ruled out for around a month last week as he suffered a muscle injury, which is a huge blow considering he hasn’t long returned from his knee injury in January.
He had made a great impact upon his return, but Havertz is now side-lined again, and hopes to come back for the business end of the season, with a return looking like March as things stand.
Expected return date – Sunday 1 March vs Chelsea (H)
Mikel Merino
Merino suffered an unfortunate ankle injury in Janaury, which has ruled him out for the remainder of the season, which came as a huge blow for Arteta.
The Arsenal boss spoke on Merino’s surgery that he underwent last week. He said: “Well, I think the doctors were really happy the way it went. Yeah, now it starts. Obviously, it’s a long process. You’re talking about bone healing, so you need to be patient.
“You respect the timings, and I’m sure Mikel is going to do everything that he possibly can to speed up the process. We’re talking about months, whether it’s three, four or five, we don’t know.”
Expected return date – June 2026
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