Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at Brentford in the Premier League on Thursday evening, with Manchester City now only four points behind Mikel Arteta's men
04:00, 13 Feb 2026
William Saliba during an Arsenal training session
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William Saliba missed Arsenal's draw with Brentford(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal failed to find a reply against Manchester City with a 1-1 draw at Brentford on Thursday evening seeing Mikel Artets's side drop points in the Premier League title race. Noni Madueke gave Arsenal the lead, but Keane Lewis-Potter levelled just ten minutes after and Mikel Arteta's side couldn't restore their advantage.
The result leaves them just four points clear of Pep Guardiola's team following City's 3-0 home win over Fulham on Wednesday. Up next is an FA Cup tie with League One side Wigan Athletic at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday (4:30pm).
After that, Arsenal face two away trips to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham in the North London derby before hosting Chelsea on March 1.
Arteta will be hopeful he can welcome back players from injury ahead of those games, with William Saliba missing the Brentford match through illness and Kai Havertz still dealing with a little niggle.
With that said, football.london has taken a look at the latest injury news from the treatment room.
Wiliam Saliba
Illness.
What Arteta has said: "This morning Wilo wasn't feeling good so he's ill. He's at home, just short-term."
Possible return date: vs Wigan (H) - Sunday, February 15.
Kai Havertz
Injury: Muscular.
What Arteta has said: "After the game we played against Sunderland, Kai felt a little niggle, so we need to wait and see how long he will be out."
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Possible return date: Unknown.
Mikel Merino
Injury: Fractured bone.
What Arteta has said: "I think the doctors were really happy with the way it went. It's obviously a long process.
"You're talking about bone healing, so you need to be patient, you respect the timings. I'm sure Mikel is going to do everything that he possibly can to speed up that recovery.
Mikel Merino
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No timeline has been put on Mikel Merino's return (Image: PA)
"And the timeframes, we're talking about months, whether it's three or four or five, we don't know."
Possible return date: Summer 2026.
Max Dowman
Injury: Ankle.
What Arteta has said: "Max is still not available. 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."
Possible return date: End of February/start of March.
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