Arteta Explains Havertz Absence v Villareal as Injury Worries Mount

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·7 agosto 2025

Arteta Explains Havertz Absence v Villareal as Injury Worries Mount

Arsenal played host to Villarreal on 6th August and there was one surprise absence from the squad. Kai Havertz surprisingly missed the encounter, but Mikel Arteta provided an update in his post-match press conference. Arsenal succumbed to a 3-2 defeat to Nicolas Pepe’s Villarreal in one of their final friendlies of pre-season. The Ivorian winger was even among the goal scorers for the visitors, opening the scoring opportunistically following some sloppy defending. Christian Nørgaard and Martin Ødegaard scored Arsenal’s two goals either side of the break and there were some encouraging performances dotted throughout the encounter.

A notable and rather surprising absence was Kai Havertz, but following the encounter, Mikel Arteta gave an update on the German international. “Yesterday in training he felt something and this morning he wasn’t quite right, so we decided to rest him,” the Spaniard told reporters. “I think it’s going to be a matter of a couple of days, hopefully the weekend, if everything goes to plan, I think he will be fit.”

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(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

More Key Players Missing

Aside from Kai Havertz, there were some other big names missing as well. Riccardo Calafiori and Leandro Trossard picked up injuries during the tour hence their recent absence. Nevertheless, Arteta hinted at a possible return for Saturday’s clash against Athletic Club. He added: “The three that we lost during the tour, it was Big Gabi, Leo and Richy, and for Saturday I think both of them have a chance, if everything in the next few days evolves in the way that it’s been evolving in the last few days.”

One Last Chance Before the Season Starts

The Gunners will take on Athletic Club in their final pre-season friendly ahead of the new campaign. Following consecutive friendly losses (the Gunners were defeated 1-0 by arch north London rivals Tottenham in Hong Kong), Arsenal have to head into the United game off the back of a win. An emphatic win will also go a long way in dispelling concerns from the past few games. Fans have already begun airing their frustrations at the lack of cohesion in their recent performances with the season just over a week away. That said, there are a lot of positives to take into the new campaign. As the new signings continue to familiarise themselves with the new surroundings and style of play, we can only get better collectively!

Let’s hope our Gunners can rise to the challenge, against Athletic Club, on Saturday..

Benjamin Kenneth

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