Arsenal Faces Injury Setback with Bukayo Saka
Arsenal have been braced for bad news on Bukayo Saka, and Mikel Arteta has now delivered it: their talismanic winger will be out for “weeks” as a quad injury continues to drag on.
Saka has not played since hobbling off early against Bayern Munich in last month’s Champions League showdown, a moment that sucked the air out of the Emirates and has lingered ever since. What initially looked like a straightforward lay-off has turned into something more awkward, a build-up of fluid around the affected area delaying follow-up scans and any hope of a quick return.
Arteta, speaking ahead of Hull’s visit to north London on Saturday, cut straight to the point.
“We’re talking about weeks,” he said. “Let’s see. After the international break, he’s going to start hitting the pitch and start to have more activity, see how he feels. Unfortunately, he’s going to be out for a while.”
The plan, then, is clear enough. Arsenal will have to navigate a crucial stretch of the season without the England international, banking on the November international window as a natural pause to reset his recovery. Only after that will Saka be eased back onto the grass and tested properly.
While Saka’s absence lingers, there is at least better news at the other end of the pitch.
Ezri Konsa, who sparked concern when he was withdrawn just after the hour mark against Slavia Prague in midweek, is expected to be available. The defender, a summer signing who has quickly become a fixture alongside Gabriel, had been flagged by Arteta as having “some issues” after that Champions League tie, prompting a precautionary change as Cristhian Mosquera came on.
The sheer volume of minutes Konsa has racked up recently was part of the calculation. Arsenal were not prepared to gamble with a player who has quietly become one of the first names on the teamsheet.
This time, the caution appears to have paid off.
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Arteta confirmed. “He was feeling much better today. We took him out for a precaution and for the amount of minutes that he was playing. But yesterday and today he’s feeling good.”
Konsa trained on Friday and has also been named in the latest England squad, joining Arsenal team-mates Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze. Noni Madueke, though, misses out.
Behind them, another storyline is beginning to stir.
William Saliba, absent all season after a lengthy rehabilitation from a back injury, returned to the matchday squad in Prague. He stayed on the bench, but his name back on a team sheet for the first time since France’s World Cup semi-final defeat by Spain in July felt significant.
Arsenal will not rush him. They cannot afford to. But the prospect of Saliba finally taking his first minutes of the campaign this weekend is real, and it comes with an international subplot attached. If he comes through cleanly, a place in the France squad for Nations League games against Italy and Turkey is on the table.
“We’ve been in very close contact [with France],” Arteta said. “They have all the information. Now it’s about them. Whatever is decided, it’s fine for us.”
So Arsenal move into another Premier League weekend juggling the familiar twin demands of club and country, weighing risk and reward. Saka waits. Konsa returns. Saliba edges closer.
The season will not slow down for any of them.
