Mikel Arteta has received a huge boost ahead of Arsenal's clash with Newcastle at the weekend. Eddie Howe's side will welcome the Gunners to St James' Park on Sunday afternoon in what is shaping up to be a huge fixture.
Arsenal will be desperate to build upon their win over Chelsea, while the Magpies will be hoping to consolidate their place in the top four. But, to overcome Newcastle - who seem to have been scoring for fun recently - Arteta must pick a backline which doesn't include William Saliba.
The Gunners have greatly missed the Frenchman, so losing Gabriel Magalhaes would pile on the misery. So, with that being said, football.london have taken a look at the latest Arsenal injury news as the title run-in heats up.
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Gabriel came off with five minutes remaining against Chelsea, with Rob Holding replacing him. The defender looked to be holding his hamstring when TV cameras panned to him.
football.london understands that Gabriel should be ready to face Newcastle. He received treatment on his ankle in the dressing room after the game before conducting post-match media duties with international broadcasters as normal.
What Arteta has said: "He tried for ten to fifteen minutes and he couldn't carry on. A big concern."
Expected return date: Ankle
Saliba limped off in Arsenal's exit from the Europa League against Sporting CP, suffering an issue with his back that forced the youngster to be substituted. The defender has missed the last few games and was absent yet again for the clash against Manchester City.
It remains to be seen whether Saliba will be in contention for the clash against Newcastle United at the weekend, with today's match against Chelsea coming too soon for the Frenchman.
What Arteta has said: "He's not going to be involved tomorrow. We will have to wait until the next game to see where we are."
Expected return date: Unknown
Xhaka was missing from the starting line-up against Southampton and his absence was felt in the final-third. The Switzerland international was unavailable due to illness and was not spotted in training during the week ahead of the game against Guardiola's side.
Xhaka did make a return against Man City though, starting the game in his usual midfield role on the left, marking his return from illness and he is therefore available for this week's clash with Chelsea.
Takehiro Tomiyasu was substituted inside the first 10 minutes of the Gunners' clash against Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium. The Japanese defender had overstretched for a tackle early in the match and had to receive treatment on the pitch shortly afterwards and was unable to continue.
An official club statement then read: "Tomi has had successful surgery in London on Tuesday and will be ruled out for the remainder of this season. Everyone at the club will now be working hard with Tomi, so he can join pre-season training ahead of next season."
Now, Arteta has claimed that the versatile defender could be out for up to six months, meaning he would miss the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
What Arteta has said: "I don't know, he's an important player but I don't know how to quantify," Arteta said when asked about how important Saliba's absence has been ahead of Tuesday's game with Chelsea.
"I don't know how to quantify when Gabriel Jesus has been out for four months, Nketiah for three months, Emile Smith Rowe for four and a half months, Kieran Tierney out for a few weeks, Tomiyasu out for three-and-a-half months, maybe now six months. This is football."
Expected return date: Unknown
Elneny started in the FA Cup win over Oxford United and played the whole 90 minutes. However, the Egyptian was absent for Arteta's squad for the 2-0 win at Tottenham, with a knee issue picked up in training ahead of the clash being assessed. Additionally, there was no place on the bench to face Manchester United.
A club statement then confirmed that the former Basel man will be out for an extended period of time, although no timescale was given on his expected return. Elneny has since penned a new deal at Arsenal as he closes in on a return.
Expected return date: Unknown
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