Arsenal injury update: Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori latest news and return dates

Arsenal are gearing up for a huge week with the prospect of being without Martin Odegaard, though there is good news on Bukayo Saka.

The Gunners edged past Tottenham without both their captain and Declan Rice, while they saw Saka hobble off before the end of a hard-fought 1-0 north London derby victory.

Arsenal head to Atalanta in a tricky start to their Champions League campaign on Thursday before their toughest game of the Premier League season away at champions Manchester City at the weekend.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the latest Arsenal injuries…

Bukayo Saka

Arsenal’s injury woes continue to mount with talisman Saka limping out of the north London derby on Sunday. The England winger was replaced by Ethan Nwaneri four minutes from time after signalling to come off.

Saka was able to hobble off the pitch unaided, but Arteta was unable to provide an update after the game. He told reporters: “I don’t know. I made two changes with the front players and suddenly he’s down.

“I don’t know exactly what it is but he could not continue.”

However, Standard Sport understands that Saka was suffering from cramp and joined his team-mates at open training on Wednesday ahead of flying out to Italy to face Atalanta in the Champions League.

Potential return date: Thursday September 19, vs Atalanta

Martin Odegaard

Arsenal fear their captain could be sidelined for a number of weeks after picking up an injury during the international break. The midfielder appears to have avoided an ankle fracture, but Arteta twice last week insisted it was a case of “wait and see” for a final prognosis on the skipper.

The midfielder was forced off against Austria after appearing to land awkwardly on his left ankle, leaving the pitch in tears and later pictured on crutches. Initial MRI scans suggested no fracture but Norway’s team doctor, Ola Sand, expects Odegaard to be ruled out for the remainder of September.

“Such ankle injuries often take at least three weeks,” Sand told the Norwegian newspaper VG. “What we have so far obtained from the MRI examination in London is that there is probably no fracture in the ankle.

“It is always a bit difficult to interpret an MRI scan when you have had an old injury, but Arsenal are almost certain there is no breach, but this may still take some time.”

Potential return date: October 2024

Riccardo Calafiori

Summer signing Riccardo Calafiori was forced off during Italy’s Nations League clash against France during the international break and missed the north London derby.

Calafiori took a painful knock to his calf in a freak collision when he was accidentally caught down the back of his leg by France’s Ousmane Dembele. He received treatment on the pitch and initially tried to play through the problem, but had to be replaced.

The defender returned to Arsenal for assessment and Arteta suggested ahead of the win over Spurs that Calafiori was only a doubt for the game, only to miss out entirely.

Potential return date: Thursday September 19, vs Atalanta

Mikel Merino

Summer signing Mikel Merino faces an extended wait for his debut.

The midfielder fractured his shoulder during his first training session with Arsenal and reports have suggested Merino is facing up to two months out of action.

Potential return date: November 2024

Takehiro Tomiyasu

A knee injury continues to keep Tomiyasu on the sidelines, with the versatile defender yet to feature this season.

The Japanese star has not yet returned to first-team training and Arteta’s recent comments suggest a return is not imminent.

"At the moment, it’s difficult to say," he said.

"It’s a bit slow the process of the first phase of that injury. It’s probably for the medical team to say more on that."

Potential return date: Unknown

Kieran Tierney

Tierney initially appeared likely to leave Arsenal over the summer, but he suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Scotland at Euro 2024.

That made a summer exit difficult and means the left-back is still at the club, though it remains to be seen how close Tierney is to returning to fitness.

Arteta said last month: "He needs to focus on recovering in the best possible way, it’s been a tough time for him again with the last injury. We have to try to support him and make sure he gets back fit."

Potential return date: Unknown