Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has delivered his final verdict before Sunday’s Premier League showdown with Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta addressed the fitness of Bruno Guimarães and Cristhian Mosquera, defended Arsenal’s summer transfer business and discussed the selection decisions facing him before the first major London derby of the season.
The Arsenal boss also assessed the threat posed by Xabi Alonso’s new-look Chelsea side, who arrive in north London having won both of their opening league matches.
Supporters can track the full build-up through our Arsenal vs Chelsea preview, while the current first-team options are available in our permanent Arsenal squad guide.
Arteta on Bruno Guimarães and Cristhian Mosquera
Arsenal have been monitoring both players following the 1-0 victory over Aston Villa.
Bruno suffered a knock at Villa Park before missing the open section of training later in the week.
Arteta said:
“Bruno had a knock in the previous game and he’s been assessed. Hopefully he will be okay for the session before the match.”
Mosquera also required attention against Villa after starting alongside Gabriel Magalhães.
Arteta played down fears of a significant problem:
“Cristhian Mosquera was more a precaution than anything else, so we’ll have to see in the final session how he feels.”
The update follows our full Arsenal injury report on Bruno, Timber and Mosquera.
Jurrien Timber has also returned to first-team training, while William Saliba remains unavailable.
That leaves Arteta with an important defensive decision ahead of Chelsea, with Ezri Konsa ready to come into the starting XI if required.
Arteta backs Arsenal squad after transfer window
Questions around Arsenal’s attacking depth have continued since the transfer deadline.
🗣️ Mikel Arteta on why Arsenal have signed more defenders than strikers:
“Should I have signed more strikers, you mean? Well, it depends.
“When I arrived here, we had two great strikers already with Aubameyang and Lacazette.
“We had Eddie as well, who was in-house, and things… pic.twitter.com/oaQvbiylTX
— Connor Humm (@TikiTakaConnor) September 4, 2026
Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard all left during the summer, while Christos Tzolis was the only natural winger added to the squad.
Arsenal also explored major deals for Morgan Rogers and other elite attacking targets without completing another blockbuster forward signing.
Arteta remains confident in the group available to him.
“We are very happy with the squad and the quality we have. In every window decisions need to be made, and our focus is entirely on developing the players here and integrating those who joined us in the direction we want.”
That faith has been a consistent theme since the window closed.
Our analysis of Arsenal’s £198.5m summer and £78m net-spend reality explains how extensive the rebuild actually was.
Arteta also defended the strength already available to him in our report on why he believes Arsenal supporters are overlooking parts of the rebuilt squad.
The full list of summer business can also be followed through our permanent Arsenal transfer hub.
Eze or Tzolis decision awaits Arteta
The most intriguing attacking decision comes on Arsenal’s left.
Tzolis started against Aston Villa but was withdrawn at half-time after struggling to influence the game consistently.
Eberechi Eze replaced him and immediately gave Arsenal another creative presence between the lines.
He was involved in the move for the winning goal, finding Riccardo Calafiori before the Italian supplied Bukayo Saka.
That has strengthened the argument for Eze to make his first Premier League start for Arsenal against Chelsea.
Our Arsenal vs Chelsea predicted line-up and match preview examines that selection decision in more detail.
The tactical argument is also compelling.
Eze’s ability to drift inside could allow Arsenal to overload Chelsea centrally while creating additional space for Calafiori to advance from left-back.
Arteta now has to decide whether to retain continuity with Tzolis or reward the impact Eze made at Villa Park.
Arteta prepares for major Chelsea test
Chelsea arrive at the Emirates with a very different profile to Arsenal’s opening opponents.
Alonso’s side have scored seven league goals already, while Arsenal have conceded none.
The contrast makes Sunday’s contest particularly intriguing.
Our analysis of the defensive problem Chelsea must solve against Arsenal shows that Arteta’s side have restricted opponents to below 0.50 expected goals in 20 of their last 40 league matches.
Chelsea provide the strongest attacking test yet.
Arteta said:
“It is always a big test against Chelsea. They have immense quality across the pitch, but playing at home in front of our supporters gives us huge energy. We need to maintain our high standards from the first whistle.”
The Arsenal boss also knows several Chelsea players particularly well.
He has already praised their decision to sign former Gunners goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, with our report on Arteta’s verdict on the Martínez transfer adding another subplot to Sunday’s contest.
Morgan Rogers provides another after Chelsea beat Arsenal to his signature.
Our feature on Arsenal’s decision to walk away before Chelsea paid £117m for Rogers explains why his Emirates return will attract particular attention.
Arsenal enter the game with six points from six and two clean sheets.
Supporters can follow the rest of the title defence through our permanent Arsenal fixtures and results hub.
Sunday will provide the first major indication of how Arteta’s rebuilt squad measures up against one of its direct rivals.
Arsenal injury update: Arteta gives Bruno, Timber and Mosquera updates
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