Declan Rice limping off the pitch during Arsenal’s match against Brentford
Arsenal fans held their breath midweek when Declan Rice unexpectedly hobbled off during the Gunners’ 2-0 win over Brentford. And if anyone was expecting a clear update from Mikel Arteta, they certainly didn’t get one.
Ahead of Arsenal’s crucial trip to Villa Park, the Spanish manager remained intentionally cryptic — and for good reason. Arsenal’s injury list is growing, and every hour seems to matter.
Rice has become the engine, heartbeat, and battery pack of Arsenal’s midfield since arriving from West Ham. His presence is so crucial that even a minor niggle triggers panic across North London.
Although Rice himself told reporters he felt “fine” after the match, Arteta isn’t rushing any verdict.
According to the manager:
“We have another training session in the afternoon. Every hour is going to be very important to see the availability of the players.”
Translation: Nobody knows anything yet — even him.
And Rice isn’t the only concern.
Arteta also confirmed that Cristhian Mosquera is facing an uphill battle for the Villa clash. With Saliba and Gabriel already sidelined, losing Mosquera too would leave Arsenal’s defensive unit looking like a Jenga tower leaning on hope and prayers.
Arteta put it bluntly:
“That’s the more complicated one… we need to corroborate with all the testing today.”
Meanwhile, hopes remain higher for William Saliba and Leandro Trossard, with the manager saying their situations are “a matter of days.”
Despite spending over £250 million in the last transfer window, Arteta hinted Arsenal may need to dip back into the market — especially with injuries hitting key departments.
“We always have to be prepared… we need to be open for it.”
In football language, that usually means one thing: Phone lines will be busy in January.
Playing midweek at Brentford and facing Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime is hardly ideal, but Arteta kept his cool.
“We are ready for tomorrow’s game, that’s for sure.”
Whether his squad physically is… that’s another story.
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