Mikel Arteta has eight Arsenal injury worries for the Premier League clash against Tottenham with two new concerns emerging from the international break
07:03, 21 Nov 2025Updated 14:24, 21 Nov 2025
Noni Madueke is one of four Arsenal stars hopeful of returning from line to face Tottenham(Image: Javier Garcia/Shutterstock)
Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend as they face Tottenham in a North London Derby at Emirates Stadium. The Gunners sit four points clear at the top of the table and that is with three starters absent because of injury, though Mikel Arteta is hopeful several key players will return over the busy run-in.
Spurs, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Everton are just a few teams Arsenal are set to face before Christmas. With so many fixtures in a short space of time, Arteta’s squad is set to be tested significantly.
Work done by sporting director Andrea Berta has meant they have been able to cope thus far, but Arteta will certainly want the entirety of his squad available. With that being said, football.london has taken a look at the latest Arsenal injury updates.
Martin Odegaard
There is hope that Odegaard can return from a six-week injury absence for this weekend’s North London Derby with it said he has been back in Arsenal team training. He was away with Norway over the international break in a non-playing capacity as they qualified for the World Cup.
Arteta didn’t directly address whether Odegaard will be back in action, but did say he will have more clarity on returnees soon.
What Arteta has said: “We have put in a lot of energy to bring them back as quick as possible. Tomorrow we will have more clarity. I am hopeful that we will take another step tomorrow.”
What Odegaard has said: “It’s moving forward. The match today came a little too early… But it’s starting to look better, so hopefully I’ll be back soon.”
Potential return date: Tottenham (H) – Sunday, November 23
Noni Madueke
With reports emerging prior to the two-week domestic pause that Madueke was in line to feature against Sunderland, the expectation is that he will be back in the squad to face Tottenham which will come as a big boost after two months out.
Arteta didn’t confirm Madueke’s fitness condition ahead of the match.
What Arteta has said: “We have put in a lot of energy to bring them back as quick as possible. Tomorrow we will have more clarity. I am hopeful that we will take another step tomorrow.”
Potential return date: Tottenham (H) – Sunday, November 23
Gabriel Magalhaes
After limping off for Brazil, there are fears that Gabriel be unavailable until January, but there is hope he will only miss the next few weeks.
Arteta seemed to confirm those fears, revealing that the defender is definitely absent, but added that further scans are in order for next week.
(Image: (Photo by Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images))
What Mikel Arteta said: “Yeah Gabi unfortunately picked up an injury and he’s going to be out for weeks. We need to have another scan next Wednesday and we will have the timeline much more clear.”
Potential return date: December 2025/January 2026
Viktor Gyokeres
Despite having three weeks to overcome a minor issue, Gyokeres looks to still be a doubt for the visit of Tottenham, with the manager unable to confirm whether he is available.
What Arteta has said: “We have put in a lot of energy to bring them back as quick as possible. Tomorrow we will have more clarity. I am hopeful that we will take another step tomorrow.”
Potential return date: Bayern Munich (H) – Wednesday, November 26
Kai Havertz
An imminent Havertz return seems highly unlikely following the reveal of a setback in his recovery earlier this month.
What Germany head coach Julian Naglesmann said: “Kai had a minor relapse, but overall he’s doing well… [Expected to be back in action] towards the end of the year.”
Potential return date: December
Gabriel Martinelli
Martinelli is another key attacker that has been missing through injury. Having been absent for a shorter period than others, it seems likely that he could be one of the players to return at the weekend.
What Arteta has said: “We have put in a lot of energy to bring them back as quick as possible. Tomorrow we will have more clarity. I am hopeful that we will take another step tomorrow.”
Potential return date: Tottenham (H) – Sunday, November 23
Riccardo Calafiori
Calafiori was unable to feature in either of Italy’s two matches because of a hip issue. Between the two games, it was confirmed that he had returned to Arsenal early.
While the injury has been described as a minor problem, Arteta confirmed that the defender had yet to train, putting some doubt on his availability.
What Mikel Arteta said: “Yeah he wasn’t available, he’s been carrying a few things and we had to bring him back. He hasn’t trained yet, we have a session tomorrow so we will see.”
Potential return date: Tottenham (H) – Sunday, November 23
Gabriel Jesus
Jesus is gradually edging closer to playing for the first time since January with the Brazilian in team training for the last few weeks.
There is still some time to be taken between the return to training and his return to playing in games, with some work to be done on getting him back in action.
What Arteta has said: “Very good and he’s done everything with the team for the last two weeks. We’re going to give him some exposure internally as well.
Potential return date: December 2025/January 2026