Arsenal and Mikel Arteta have been handed a fairly concerning injury update on the condition of Kai Havertz, who was rumoured to be in contention for this weekend’s looming North London derby against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.
After losing star defender Gabriel Magalhaes to a thigh injury earlier this week, which cut short his international tour of duty with Brazil, the last thing Arteta needs is another injury setback.
Arsenal, who top the Premier League table after a sensational run of form and haven’t lost a single game since their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in August, have done extraordinarily well to cope without a plethora of key attackers lately — including Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres, Gabriel Jesus and Havertz.
Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Fulham 0-1 Arsenal
Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid
Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
Burnley 0-2 Arsenal
Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal
Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
Odegaard, Madueke, Havertz and Jesus have been on the treatment table for extended periods, with the latter last in line to return to action after he ruptured his ACL against Man United at the start of 2025.
Madueke is racing to be fit for this weekend’s clash with Tottenham after impressing Arsenal rehab staff in his recovery from a knee problem, with Odegaard in the same boat according to reliable media sources like Standard Sport.
Havertz was believed to be in contention as well, but an update from Nagelsmann threatens to cast some doubt over his involvement against Spurs on Sunday.
The 26-year-old was sidelined in the opening week of the Premier League campaign and required surgery on a knee issue, having only just returned from a hamstring injury which kept him out for months.
It’s been a frustrating time for Havertz, and while reports suggest he’s been excelling in his Arsenal rehab similar to Madueke, Nagelsmann has actually made a suggestion to the contrary.
Julian Nagelsmann makes Kai Havertz injury claim in worry for Arsenal
Speaking to reporters this week, the Germany boss made an interesting prediction, stating that he expects Havertz to return “towards the end of the year”.
This comes after the £280,000-per-week star also suffered a “minor relapse” of his knee injury, though Nagelsmann has moved to say that Havertz is “doing well” all things considered.
While this doesn’t mean that Havertz is definitively out for this weekend’s all-important derby clash, it doesn’t exactly paint a certain picture of his involvement either, so Arsenal could have another injury worry on their hands here after a few scares over the international break.
Luckily for Arteta, while Gabriel is a major doubt to face Tottenham, Riccardo Calafiori has been given the all-clear to play this weekend, according to Fabrizio Romano.
If Havertz does turn out to be ready for Sunday, with uncertainty surrounding him right now, it would come as an almighty boost.
Gyokeres is another Arsenal player who could miss the derby, so a return for Havertz would undoubtedly do wonders to alleviate the Swede’s absence, otherwise Mikel Merino is in line to start his third successive game as Arteta’s makeshift striker.