Everything Mikel Arteta said about Riccardo Calafiori amid fresh Arsenal injury blow
Mikel Arteta has revealed all on Riccardo Calafiori after the Arsenal defender pulled up in the warm-ups ahead of facing Brighton on Saturday.
Myles Lewis-Skelly replaced the full-back before kick-off, with Declan Rice featuring on the opposite flank due to there being no Jurrien Timber in the matchday squad on 27 December.
With the Premier League title race already heating up, especially after Man City beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 at the City Ground, the Gunners could not afford to slip up at the Emirates Stadium.
Gabriel Magalhaes had only just returned to the Arsenal squad, with Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, and Kai Havertz all still sidelined, when the North London side were handed a fresh blow.
Riccardo Calafiori felt ‘something awkward’ in training
Fans at the Emirates will have been holding their collective breath when it was learned that the Italian international had pulled out of the lineup, and more information has now been supplied.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, transcribed by journalist Alex Howell on X (27 December), Arteta said: “Something that he felt yesterday, something very awkward that happened.
“He felt it in the warm-up,” also joining Jurrien Timber on the sidelines, having been nowhere to be seen at the Emirates, forcing the manager to experiment in the full-back positions.
The Gunners eventually went on to claim all three points, with cheers coming as Gabriel returned to the field, but new concerns have now emerged over two of their most present defenders.
Calafiori’s injury history analysed
Surprisingly, Calafiori has started 16 of Arsenal’s 18 Premier League games so far this season, even with all of his issues during the 2024-25 campaign.
Calafiori missed a total of 30 games for club and country last season, forcing some supporters to question the amount of money spent on his services, but there is no doubt over his talents at all.
Before that, the 23-year-old had only missed games here and there for his respective clubs, Bologna and Basel, apart from one long-term problem for the latter.
Many will say that the squad currently lacks depth, especially with Rice being deployed at full-back against the Seagulls, but that can be quickly fixed when the transfer window opens next month.
The majority of players appear to be returning from injury, or at least close to it, but even so, fans will be expecting some reinforcements if they are to beat Man City to the Premier League title this time around.