Gabriel of Arsenal looks dejected as he leaves the pitch after picking up an injury during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Fulham FC at Emirates Stadium on April 01, 2025 in London, England.Gabriel of Arsenal looks dejected as he leaves the pitch after picking up an injury during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Fulham FC at Emirates Stadium on April 01, 2025 in London, England.
Gabriel of Arsenal looks dejected as he leaves the pitch after picking up an injury during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Fulham FC at Emirates Stadium on April 01, 2025 in London, England. | Getty Images
Arsenal beat Fulham 2-1 on Tuesday night but the win may have come at a cost
Arsenal reduced Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points on Tuesday night with a 2-1 win over Fulham at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka scored for the Gunners as Fulham grabbed their goal deep into second-half stoppage time.
Liverpool play Everton on Wednesday night in a contest that could further re-ignite the title race with eight games remaining of the season. Arsenal then travel to Everton on Saturday afternoon before hosting Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter final on Tuesday.
Saka’s return provided a major boost for Arsenal ahead of those games as he came off the bench against Fulham and quickly marked his return with a goal. He had not played since being forced off in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace on December 21.
However, the game did hand Arsenal yet more injury concerns as Gabriel Magalhães and Jurrien Timber were both forced off with potential issues while Ben White missed the game completely.
Arsenal injury and expected return dates
Riccardo Calafiori
The defender picked up an injury while on international duty with Italy. It occurred in a 2-1 loss to Germany on March 20 with the defender subsequently returning to Arsenal early. The player is expected to return in a matter of weeks.
Mikel Arteta said earlier this week: “Ricardo, unfortunately, picked up an injury again with the national team. Really unfortunate the way it happened. It could have been much worse. So hopefully it’s going to be a matter of weeks. But we’ll have to see how that injury evolves.”
Predicted return date: v Bournemouth, May 3
Ben White
White missed the clash against Fulham with a little niggle. He has only managed 16 appearances this season due to a previous knee injury that kept him out for three months. Lamenting the latest injury woes to hit Arsenal, Arteta said on Tuesday night: "You can imagine with those four players in the defensive line in one week. So Calafiori, Ben White, Jurrien and Gabriel Magalhaes. We have still another four that are so bloody willing that they will do their job."
Predicted return date: v Real Madrid, April 8
Gabriel
The defender pulled up holding his hamstring while running back to defend against Fulham. He limped about until the ball went out of play before sitting on the turf at the Emirates Stadium to receive treatment, he appeared upset and concerned as he left the pitch to be replaced by Jakub Kiwior. Arteta confirmed it was a hamstring problem for Gabriel but a further diagnosis has yet to be made.
Depending on the nature of the injury, Gabriel could be out for anywhere between a few days to several weeks or months. Given the player’s apparent concern it appears to be more on the serious side but Arsenal will be hoping they can get him back in weeks rather than months.
Predicted return date: v Liverpool, May 10 or next season
Jurrien Timber
The defender was also forced off against Fulham, with Arteta confirming it was a knee injury. Speaking about Timber and Gabriel, he said: "With both of them, because they are two players in this team that never want to come off. Gabi felt something in his hamstring. We don't know how big that is and with Jurrien as well. He was already struggling very early in the game. He managed to continue, at some point he couldn't. So that's the downside to it."
The fact Timber was able to battle through some of the pain suggests a minor injury rather than a serious one.
Predicted return date: v Real Madrid, April 16
Kai Havertz, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel Jesus
All three players have been ruled out for the season for Arsenal. Havertz picked up a hamstring injury while training in Dubai. Jesus sustained an injury to his ACL in the FA Cup third round against Manchester United back in early January. Tomiyasu has underwent surgery on his knee and is not expected back until the latter end of the calendar year.
Return dates: Next season