Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s manager, responded to accusations aimed at his club of manipulation regarding the withdrawal of 11 players from their national-team camps during the international break and their early return to the Gunners.
Over the past month, 228 players from the 20 Premier League clubs were called up to represent their national teams in World Cup qualifiers and friendlies, before 23 of them withdrew—nearly half of them from Arsenal.
This sparked speculation that the team was suffering an injury crisis, or that its players were claiming injuries to avoid playing additional matches for their national teams and return to the club, but Arteta stressed that each player’s medical situation was fully explained to their national teams.
Arteta said at a press conference on Friday, “We have a very good relationship and communication with most national teams, and certainly with (England coach) Thomas Tuchel as well.”
He added, “We have always been very supportive. And when it comes to clarifying each player’s medical condition, we are always honest, clear medical decisions have been made, and it was clear what the final decision was.”
The Spanish coach confirmed that his players are “very eager” to represent their national teams, saying, “When you are ready and available to play for your national team, you have to play.”
Arteta continued, “We feel very proud to have this number of players in national teams. The players are very excited to represent their countries, and I know how important that is to them. We support them fully, and when it is possible, we do so.”
Injuries galore
After losing the English League Cup final to Manchester City earlier this month, defender William Saliba confirmed that he would not join the France national team due to an ankle injury.
His fellow defender Gabriel Magalhães also withdrew from Brazil’s squad due to a knee problem.
They were later joined by English forward Eberechi Eze (leg injury), Norwegian midfielder Martin Ødegaard (knee injury), and Dutch defender Jurriën Timber (groin injury), who also missed the cup final through injury, in addition to Belgian forward Leandro Trossard (hip injury).
After the players joined their national teams, five more Arsenal players withdrew: the English trio Declan Rice (minor injury), Bukayo Saka (minor injury), and Noni Madueke (knee injury against Uruguay), in addition to Spaniard Martin Zubimendi (knee injury) and Ecuadorian Piero Hincapié (undisclosed injury). Arsenal, leaders of the English Premier League, face Southampton—one of the currently in-form Championship sides—in the FA Cup quarter-finals tomorrow, Saturday. Arteta confirmed that Eze will miss the match due to injury, while Ødegaard and Timber could return. Madueke’s injury is not as serious as expected, but he remains doubtful. Asked how many players are available among the 11 who withdrew from their national teams, Arteta said, “You’ll see for yourselves. I’ll leave you to speculate, and you can judge afterwards.” He concluded, “We are now in a position that requires us to field the strongest possible line-up to win every trophy. We are two or three matches away from the FA Cup title, and we know very well how important this competition is for us.”