Arsenal Afternoon Round-Up, Saturday 3rd October 2026: Arteta Facing Injury Puzzle After Tzolis and Havertz Blows

It's an injury-heavy update this afternoon, with Mikel Arteta facing selection headaches ahead of the next round of fixtures. Football.London report that Arteta has less than a week to find a solution to replacing Christos Tzolis in the starting lineup after what's described as a huge blow for the manager (Football.London).

Adding to the issue, Arteta is also said to be dealing with a Kai Havertz injury concern, with Football.London suggesting Viktor Gyokeres could now be handed an important role and potentially his first Premier League start of the season immediately after the international break (Football.London).

On a brighter note, there's a fitness update on Jurrien Timber, with Football.London noting that the Netherlands boss has helped ease some of Arteta's nerves over the defender (Football.London). However, with two Arsenal players already sidelined through injury, it's reported that Arteta will be keeping a close eye on the Netherlands' clash with Serbia on Sunday evening (Football.London).

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.