Arsenal faces several injury setbacks ahead of their upcoming match against Leeds, including Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz who are both out with unspecified injuries. Ezri Konsa returned from England duty but was ruled out again after a knock during training, while Max Dowman, a young player for the England Under-19s, also suffered an injury but is expected to return by October 10th against Leeds. Tzolis could be sidelined for up to three weeks and may miss matches against Leeds, Lille, Nottingham Forest, and Bayern Munich before potentially returning on October 24th against Everton. Havertz's potential return date remains uncertain in the range of October/November due to a hamstring issue sustained while playing for Germany.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The recent international break has been tough for Arsenal, as they faced setbacks involving several key players. Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz are currently sidelined, while Declan Rice withdrew from the England squad citing load management rather than new injuries. Tzolis could be out for up to three weeks, potentially missing games against Leeds, Lille, Nottingham Forest, and Bayern Munich, with a possible return for the match against Everton on October 24. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa suffered an unspecified knock during England's defeat by Spain but played the full 90 minutes in their 7-0 win over Croatia; however, he has since been ruled out of a second meeting with the Czech Republic and is awaiting further assessment for his return date.
Written for “Arsenal Injury Updates” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
It has been a difficult international break for the Gunners, who were hit by some high-profile setbacks and other scares involving important players.
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who → hit → players
Christos Tzolis and Kai Havertz are both now injured, while Martin Odegaard has been struggling with an issue of his own and Declan Rice pulled out of England duty right at the start of an extended three-week window.
Here is all the latest Arsenal injury news and return dates before Leeds visit the Emirates Stadium on Saturday...
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Leeds → struggle → Saturday
Ezri Konsa
Konsa played no part against the Czech Republic on Tuesday after departing the England camp on Monday.
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Konsa → play → Monday
The centre-back initially suffered an unspecified knock during the defeat by Spain at Wembley, subsequently sitting out training and remaining an unused substitute for the win over the Czech Republic in Prague.
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back → suffer → Prague
Konsa returned to play the full 90 minutes of the 7-0 thrashing of Croatia on Saturday, but was ruled out of a second meeting with the Czechs and returned to north London for assessment.
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Konsa → return → assessment
Potential return date: Unknown, pending further assessment
Max Dowman
Dowman was forced to pull out from England’s Under-19s squad over the weekend, with his departure from the camp quietly confirmed a day before the Young Lions were beaten by Belgium 1-0.
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Lions → pende → Belgium
The 16-year-old had previously appeared in all three of the side’s matches this international break, picking up one goal and one assist in victories over Ireland, Norway and the United States.
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old → appear → Ireland
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He was sent off in that match, though, after a reckless challenge.
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He → read → challenge
However, it has been reported that Dowman suffered a contact injury which is not thought to be serious enough to sideline him for a significant period.
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which → report → period
Potential return date: Saturday October 10, vs Leeds (H)
Christos Tzolis
Early reports claim that the forward could be out for up to three weeks, potentially missing games against Leeds, Lille, Nottingham Forest and Bayern Munich.
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forward → claim → Leeds
Such a timeframe could see Tzolis return for the visit of Everton on October 24, which is followed by a trip to fourth-tier Fleetwood in the Carabao Cup and a clash with Liverpool at Anfield.
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which → see → Anfield
Potential return date: Saturday October 24, vs Everton (H)
Kai Havertz
A week before Tzolis’ injury, Havertz had already suffered his own hamstring issue against the Netherlands while playing for Germany.
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Havertz → suffer → Germany
However, it is thought that he has avoided another serious injury setback and that any absence is likely to last for weeks rather than months.
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absence → think → weeks
Potential return date: October/November
Declan Rice
Fresh fears over Rice were sparked when he withdrew from the England squad before games against Spain, the Czech Republic and Croatia, alongside Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento.
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he → spark → Palmer
That, however, was a case of load management rather than any new injury, with Rice having been dealing with some issues including long-term neural hamstring pain that had moved into his lower back.
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that → deal → back
He had also battled illness and calf pain throughout the World Cup.
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He → battle → Cup
He is expected to be fit to start when Arsenal face Leeds on Saturday.
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Arsenal → expect → Saturday
Potential return date: Saturday October 10, vs Leeds (H)
William Saliba
Saliba has yet to play for the Gunners this season due to a long-term back injury that he worsened at the World Cup finals this summer.
Though he avoided surgery, he was expected to be sidelined for a period of months in a huge blow to Arteta.
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he → play → Arteta
No new official updates on the defender have been forthcoming, with Arteta previously insisting that his progress has been strong but that he was unsure of an exact timeframe for his return to the pitch.
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he → insist → pitch
The most recent reports from France have claimed that Saliba is now running again following a positive scan and is targeting a comeback around November or December.
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Saliba → claim → November
Potential return date: December
Ben White
White was once again unavailable for England selection during this international window after suffering a groin injury during Arsenal’s win at Sunderland on September 12.
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White → suffer → September
The versatile defender missed the subsequent Carabao Cup victory over Ipswich and 3-0 Premier League defeat at Brighton, with Three Lions boss Tuchel bemoaning his absence.
Potential return date: Saturday October 10, vs Leeds (H)
Piero Hincapie
Hincapie has also been back training with his club after being omitted from the Ecuador squad for friendlies against South Korea, Japan and Panama because of a muscle problem.
The defender missed the Carabao Cup win at Ipswich but was back amongst the substitutes against Brighton, where he was an unused substitute.
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he → miss → Brighton
Potential return date: Saturday October 10, vs Leeds (H)
Cristhian Mosquera
The last of Arsenal’s previously injured defenders to be seen back in training last week, with the quartet completed by teenager Marli Salmon.
Mosquera has not played at all since suffering a hamstring problem during the 1-0 win over Aston Villa on August 31.
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Mosquera → injure → August
However, he is now fit again and should also help to bolster Arteta’s defensive options this weekend.
Potential return date: Saturday October 10, vs Leeds (H)
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he → help → Leeds
The Aporia
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