Arsenal suffer fresh injury blow as Kai Havertz set to miss matches

Kai Havertz has withdrawn from Germany’s squad for the October international break with a knee injury and will two matches. It is unclear if the Arsenal forward will miss any games for the Gunners.

Havertz was named in Germany’s squad for this month’s Nations League fixtures. Julian Nagelsmann’s side are due to face Bosnia & Herzegovina and the Netherlands. But it has been confirmed that the 25-year-old has pulled out.

A statement by the German Football Association read: “Kai Havertz will miss the upcoming international matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Netherlands due to knee problems.”

Havertz completed 90 minutes during Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday. The former Chelsea star continued his excellent start to the season by scoring the opening goal in the 58th minute.

Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka also found the net in the triumph at the Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta’s side remain unbeaten during the 2024-25 Premier League season.

Havertz has scored in each of his last seven games at the Emirates Stadium, a run which extends into the back end of last season. The ex-Bayer Leverkusen prospect has bagged six goals in 10 appearances across all competitions this term.

“You can tell [his confidence has grown], he takes the ball and he runs with the ball,” Arteta said of Havertz after Saturday’s success. “He’s on high press, he goes full gas, the way he holds the ball, the position he takes in the box.

“He’s an attacking midfielder, he plays as a nine, you don’t know where he is, that’s his football brain. His focus now is ‘I’m going to win the game, I’m going to do it’ and that’s a different thing.

“When he’s practising, he wants more and he’s not satisfied with what he’s doing because there is still, I think, another level from him.

“Obviously, he’s surrounded by incredible players but something has changed in him and that confidence, you really sense it and now he’s putting it into games and he’s winning football matches which is great.”

Arsenal have maintained their excellent start to the campaign despite a spate of injuries to high-profile players. Captain Martin Odegaard will not return until after the international break having suffered an ankle problem while playing for Norway in September.

Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Oleksandr Zinchenko have also all been missing over the part few weeks. The trio are set to return once Arsenal resume their Premier League campaign against Bournemouth on October 19.