Three Arsenal superstars will reportedly be unavailable for their club duties until the first international break after the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Gunners enjoyed an exceptional campaign in the 2025-26 season. Under the tutelage of Mikel Arteta, they lifted their first Premier League title since their invincible 2004 campaign. They also made it to finals of the UEFA Champions League and the EFL Cup; unfortunately for them, they lost to PSG (1-1, 4-3 on penalties) and Manchester City (0-2) respectively.
Three key cogs of their incredible success were forward Bukayo Saka, midfielder Declan Rice and defender William Saliba. The trio are considered among the best in the world in their respective positions and have carried over their scintillating form into the FIFA World Cup.
Although Saka and Rice have been nursing hamstring injuries, both have been key contributors in England's run to the quarter-final thus far. The former has bagged three assists in five appearances (two starts), while the latter has an assist in four games (three starts).
Saliba has also been playing for France through a back injury. Despite the issues, he has been rock-solid at the back for Les Bleus, helping them keep three clean sheets in his four appearances en route to the quarter-final.
According to @now_arsenal on X, Saka, Rice and Saliba will potentially be out of action for Arsenal until the first post-FIFA World Cup international break rolls around in October. In that period, Arteta's side will play Manchester City in the Community Shield and Coventry City, Aston Villa, Chelsea, Sunderland and Brighton in the EPL.
Furthermore, the report claimed that the North London side have amped up their pursuit of a centre-back, central midfielder and winger to cope with the absence of their stars.
"I'm happy there" - Spain's FIFA World Cup hero makes claim about future at Arsenal
After delivering a clutch performance for Spain at the FIFA World Cup, midfielder Mikel Merino has claimed that he is 'happy' to be part of the Arsenal 'family'.
Merino has played in all five games (one start) for La Roja at the World Cup thus far. His best performance came in the Round of 16 against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal. With the score tied at 0-0, he came off the bench in the 85th minute and netted the winner in added time (90+1') to send his side through to the quarter-final.
After the game, Spanish outlet COPE asked Merino about his future at Arsenal. The 30-year-old said (via Metro):
"I'm calm, I'm happy there, they make me feel as part of the family at the club. I'm not thinking much more than that. I'm old, so I'm making the most of every day and not looking beyond that."
Up next, Merino will be seen in action in Spain's FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Belgium on Friday (July 10).