Kai Havertz has picked up a muscular injury and is set to miss Arsenal's next four games at least, ruling him out of the north London derby at Tottenham later this month.
The German forward is set to miss Thursday night's Premier League game at Brentford, Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round tie with Wigan and next week's top-flight clashes at both Wolves and Spurs.
The setback adds to Arsenal's injury concerns in attacking midfield - where Havertz has started in three of the club's last four games - with Mikel Merino also out for most of the rest of the season after foot surgery.
Arsenal will, however, give captain Martin Odegaard a late fitness test ahead of Thursday's trip to the Gtech, along with Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard. Eberechi Eze, meanwhile, is another attacking midfield option for manager Mikel Arteta.
However, there is also no recall clause or option in Ethan Nwaneri's loan move to Marseille amid the Merino and Havertz injuries.
The Arsenal winger was sent on a six-month loan to Marseille in the January transfer window, with the possibility of working under Roberto De Zerbi one of the main reasons why the 18-year-old joined the Ligue 1 club.
However, despite De Zerbi leaving Marseille this week and Arsenal losing options in midfield, Nwaneri will stay in the south of France until the end of the season.
Your Site' Sam Blitz:
Kai Havertz had given Arsenal an attacking boost when they needed it most. After the loss to Manchester United raised questions about the Gunners' ability to generate chances from open play, Havertz's return to the team brought some new energy.
In the four matches since that United game, Havertz started three and Arsenal scored 11 goals. He managed two goals and two assists in those games, in a reminder of why Mikel Arteta rates him so highly.
One area where Havertz really benefited Arsenal was his partnership with under-fire striker Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker has played three matches with Havertz and scored in all of them, with the German even setting Gyokeres up against Kairat Almaty and Sunderland.
With debates surrounding who should start up front and in attacking midfield for Arsenal, Arteta thought he found the answer - for the time being - with the Gyokeres-Havertz partnership. But now the Arsenal manager has to think again.
Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze have faced their critics in recent weeks in terms of attacking and creative output - but now the pair have to step up between them to lead Arsenal's attack behind the central striker.
The next two-and-a-half weeks will see the Gunners face one of the Premier League form teams in Brentford, plus two more London derbies against a new-look Spurs and Chelsea. Which attacking players out of Gyokeres, Odegaard and Eze will step up when the team needs them to?
Havertz's muscular issue is just the latest in a succession of injuries suffered by the 26-year-old.
The Germany international had missed much of this campaign after damaging his knee on the opening day of the season and being sidelined for five months.
Meanwhile, Havertz was also absent for most of the second half of last season as Arsenal tried to chase down Liverpool in the Premier League after the forward injured his hamstring while on a warm-weather training camp in Dubai in February 2025.
That issue required surgery, with the player going on to miss the remainder of the campaign.
