CONFIRMED: Arsenal receives 3 bad news that shock Mikel Arteta

Coach Mikel Arteta discloses Declan Rice’s injury before a packed fixture list, amid Arsenal’s ongoing defensive crisis.

In an effort to keep information as confidential as possible, Arteta inadvertently hinted at Declan Rice’s potential return to training before a crucial series of matches. Meanwhile, the news for Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori is even less optimistic.

The absence of Arsenal’s key midfielder was noticeably felt during the victory over Aston Villa at the 19th round of the Premier League. Although the final score was a decisive 4-1, the Gunners faced significant difficulties throughout most of the first half, especially in stopping Villa’s direct attacks through midfield — the area missing Rice.

The English midfielder was forced to sit out after suffering a heavy collision to his knee in the win against Brighton last weekend. Arteta revealed that severe swelling in the knee prevented Rice from playing midweek, and he can only return if the joint recovers to normal condition.

Speaking a day before the away match at Bournemouth this Saturday, Arteta said: “We haven’t trained yet. Today will probably be the first session with the players who started against Villa. We will know more this afternoon.”

When asked specifically about Rice’s chances of playing, the Spanish coach cautiously replied: “At the moment, we don’t know,” before adding cryptically: “There’s one more training today; let’s see how he gets through it and how he feels. The Villa match was too soon for him.”

Rice being able to return to training is seen as a positive sign. However, the same cannot be said for defenders Mosquera and Calafiori, as Arteta confirmed: “Neither of them is ready to play.”

Arsenal still has a few rotation options in defense with Ben White returning against Villa, and William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães reunited at the back — but the lack of depth to rotate the squad might become an issue for them over the long term.