Arsenal receive unexpected injury boost as Mikel Arteta gives quadruple update before Wolves

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has ruled both Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz out of Wednesday's Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers but is hopeful that the pair will be fit for the North London derby.

Neither man was present in the 4-0 FA Cup thrashing of Wigan Athletic on Sunday, just three days after Odegaard picked up a knee problem in the 1-1 draw with Brentford in the Premier League.

The Norway international - who had only just come back from a knock at the Gtech Community Stadium - admitted that his knee was "very sore" in a pre-FA Cup update but also expressed optimism over his availability for Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking to journalists in his pre-Wolves press conference, Arteta admitted that Molineux would come too soon for Odegaard, but the captain is eyeing a swift return for the derby.

"For Wolves he's not gonna be fit but for Sunday we are very hopeful he is gonna be with us," Arteta said, before giving an unexpectedly positive update on Havertz.

Arsenal injury news: Mikel Arteta issues Riccardo Calafiori, Ben White latest

Previous reports claimed that the Germany international was expected to sit out the clash with Tottenham, but Arteta took a more hopeful view on his fitness for the weekend.

"Kai is the other one that for the weekend is a possibility, so looking forward to having him in the squad," the Spaniard added, after also delivering the latest on his defensive contingent.

Riccardo Calafiori was a late withdrawal from the clash with Wigan after sustaining an issue in the warm-up, while Ben White gingerly trudged off the pitch late on but then allayed fears of an injury on social media.

Asked firstly about Calafiori, Arteta responded: "He's fine, he was training with us today, he's feeling better and hopefully he's fit for tomorrow."

On White, the Arsenal manager revealed that the Englishman had suffered a hamstring scare but is also expected to be OK for the bottom-vs-top battle on Wednesday evening.

"Was just a bit of fatigue he did a lot in the game and by the end of it he was feeling a bit of tightness in the hamstring but he's fine," Arteta replied.

Mikel Merino (foot) remains sidelined for the Premier League leaders, and there was no update on ankle victim Max Dowman, but the 16-year-old was pictured back in full training over the weekend.

Who starts up front for Arsenal in North London derby?

No-one was surprised to see Gabriel Jesus given the nod against Wigan, and the Brazilian repaid Arteta's faith in him with a delightful chip, but he will likely drop down to the bench for the clash with Rob Edwards's men.

With Havertz still sidelined, expect Viktor Gyokeres to spearhead the charge at Molineux, but the Sweden international was ineffective in the Gunners' 2-1 win over Wolves earlier in the season and has lost far too many duels in 2025-26.

The prospect of a Gyokeres-Havertz partnership is an intriguing one, but if Odegaard is fit and starts against Spurs as expected, Havertz must link up with the Norwegian - injury-permitting too.