Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has insisted the club has “a very good relationship” with most national teams, despite 11 Gunners players withdrawing from international duty during the recent window.
Across the Premier League, 228 players were called up for World Cup qualifiers and friendlies last month, with 23 withdrawing. Almost half of those were Arsenal players, sparking questions over whether the club was facing an injury crisis or being cautious.
Arteta clarified that the medical condition of each player was fully communicated to their national teams. “We have very good relationship and communication with most of the national teams — certainly with Thomas [Tuchel] too,” he said.
“We have been extremely supportive all the time. When you have to communicate the state of every player, we are always honest and a medical decision had to be made. That was clear what the conclusion was.”
The withdrawals followed Arsenal’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City. Defender William Saliba pulled out of the France squad with an ankle injury, while his centre-back partner Gabriel withdrew from Brazil duty with a knee problem. England forward Eberechi Eze, Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard, Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber, and Belgium forward Leandro Trossard also withdrew after injuries in the cup final.
Later, five more Arsenal players missed international matches: England’s Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, and Noni Madueke, Spain’s Martin Zubimendi, and Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie.
Arteta stressed his players are “desperate” to play for their countries. “When you are fit and available to play for the national team, you have to play,” he said.
“It makes us so proud that we had that many players in the national team. Players are desperate to play for their nation. I know how important it is to them. We are fully supportive of that and when we can do it, we do it.”
Looking ahead to Arsenal’s FA Cup quarter-final at Southampton on Saturday, Arteta confirmed that Eze will miss the game, while Odegaard and Timber could return. Madueke remains a doubt after his knee injury.
Asked how many of the 11 withdrawn players will be available, Arteta said: “You will see. I will let you do the speculation. You can judge afterwards.
“We are in a position right now where we need to make the strongest line-up we possibly can to win every competition. We are two or three games away from the FA Cup and we know how important that competition is for us.”
