Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is feeling hopeful that Kai Havertz and Ezri Konsa could play in Saturday’s Premier League match against Leeds United. Christos Tzolis, however, will be out for the next few weeks due to a muscle injury.
Arteta shared this information in a pre-match press conference. This took place on Arsenal’s official website on Friday, October 9, 2026.
Havertz returned early from international duty. He was taken off during Germany’s first match of the break against the Netherlands in Amsterdam. Konsa missed England’s last group match against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
“With Kai, it was a muscular injury,” Arteta said. “I spoke to Jurgen [Klopp] and they sent the player back, as is normal. Ezri has been dealing with some issues as well, and we communicated well with the England camp about that.
“Tzolis has a muscle injury and he’s going to be out for a few weeks. He’s not available yet.”
The Arsenal boss mentioned he has been in touch with national team managers to keep an eye on his players' conditions.
Meanwhile, Declan Rice missed the entire international break. The club managed his fitness due to a few minor issues he has faced.
“We have to manage him because he’s had some issues since he came back from the World Cup,” Arteta said. “We know how many games he’s played in the last three years. It was the sensible thing to do, and hopefully tomorrow he’s available.”
Arsenal also got good news in defense. Ben White is back in training after a groin issue that kept him out of the win against Sunderland last month.
Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera have also returned to full fitness. Arteta confirmed that all three defenders are available for selection.
“They did incredibly well to be available for the Brighton game,” he said. “We chose not to use them at the end, especially in the way we had to play the last few minutes. But they are both available, and Ben White too.”
Teenage midfielder Max Dowman, 16, is also available. He withdrew from England’s under-19 squad last weekend after playing in all three matches during the international break against the Republic of Ireland, Norway, and the United States.
Arsenal will host Leeds United on Saturday as they return to Premier League action after the three-week international break.
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