Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Kai Havertz is close to returning from a long-term knee injury, with the Arsenal manager predicting the German will add “a different dimension” to the team’s attack. Havertz underwent knee surgery in August and was initially expected back in early December, but a setback delayed his comeback.
The 26-year-old, who was Arsenal’s top Premier League scorer last season with nine goals despite a hamstring issue, has been pictured training this week. Arteta revealed Havertz was “quite close” to being considered for the Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Crystal Palace on Tuesday. “I think it will be a matter of days, not weeks,” Arteta said.
Saturday’s Premier League match against Brighton may come too soon for Havertz, who will compete with Viktor Gyökeres and Gabriel Jesus for a starting spot. Gabriel Martinelli is a doubt with a knee injury, while defender Piero Hincapié picked up an unspecified issue in the win over Everton. Riccardo Calafiori is expected to continue alongside William Saliba in central defence.
Arteta also provided an update on Gabriel Magalhães, who is still rehabilitating and unlikely to return before the new year. “He hasn’t trained yet, so he’s still doing his rehab,” Arteta said. “But, hopefully, as quick as possible because we know the situation that we have in the back.”
Arsenal have improved their disciplinary record this season, leading the Premier League fair play standings with 22 bookings and no red cards from 17 games, a stark contrast to six sendings-off last season. Arteta recalled the controversial red card for Declan Rice against Brighton in August 2024, saying, “I remember very well, I was very hacked off… Hopefully it’s going to be very different next time.”
