Arsenal injuries mean only 5 players yet to miss a match

Arsenal’s position at the top of both the Premier League and the Champions League looks even more impressive when set against the reality of a squad that has not been fully fit at any point this season.

Only David Raya, Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori, Ethan Nwaneri, and Myles Lewis-Skelly have avoided missing a match because of injury or illness.

Everyone else has been sidelined at least once.

The absences were laid bare again in Bruges. Arsenal travelled without Gabriel, Kai Havertz, Cristhian Mosquera, Max Dowman, William Saliba, Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice, and Jurrien Timber.

Calafiori was only able to play part of the second half after a “bad kick” he received at Villa, while Martin Odegaard is still working his way back after three injuries in the first four months of the season.

Viktor Gyokeres is also easing back following the hamstring problem that cost him four matches, and Gabriel Jesus played for the first time in almost a year after recovering from his ACL injury.

The injury list covers almost every part of the body. Shoulders, knees, groins, ankles, hamstrings and bouts of illness have meant Mikel Arteta has not had a full-strength squad available once. Even Calafiori, counted among the five ever-present players, has had to come off during a game because of injury concerns.

Figures published this week underline the scale of the problem for Arsenal, and they didn’t even include every injured player!

According to Sky Sports, only Leeds United (28) have suffered more injuries than Arsenal in the Premier League this season, listing 26 separate issues for the Gunners. Their tally did not include Dowman, who is now out for two months with ankle ligament damage, nor did it reflect the latest problems for Trossard and Rice or the match that Kepa missed for unknown reasons.

When you factor all that in, Arsenal lead the way in this table, too.

Some injuries have been unavoidable. Odegaard’s setbacks, all from impacts during games, could have happened to anyone. But the number of muscle injuries has prompted questions about whether the players are being pushed too hard during a period when the ability to rotate has been limited.

Arteta rejected that suggestion on Tuesday before the game against Club Brugges.

“Not training, no, because we don’t have time to train,” he said. “So, training is not there. But obviously, the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more. That’s a consequence of that and it’s really dangerous.

“The fact that we have some others who have long-term contracts that haven’t been with us since the beginning of the season. But, yeah, it’s a test for the team, and so far, we have reacted very, very well to that.”

If Arsenal ever get close to a fully available squad, they should be even stronger – and fresher – in the second half of the season. The challenge is getting there.

Right now, the club are leading the way domestically and in Europe while dealing with far more injuries than any contender would reasonably be expected to manage.

Yet somehow, they are doing just that and have lost just two games all season.

Arsenal men player availability

last updated 11/12/25 after Club Brugge vs Arsenal [this table is updated here after every match]