Arsenal forward Kai Havertz, out since August with a knee injury, is close ‍to playing again after returning to training this ​week, manager Mikel Arteta said.

The Premier League ‌leader, which hosts Brighton & Hove ​Albion on Saturday, posted a video of the German striker in training on Tuesday.

The return of Havertz is welcome news for Arteta at a time when Arsenal has failed to score a non-penalty goal in its last three ​matches.

Arsenal’s primary striker Viktor Gyokeres has scored ⁠only once, from the spot, since returning from a muscle injury last month.

“I think it will be a ​matter of days, if ⁠not weeks. Let’s see in the next step how (Havertz) responds to that. He’s a player that we missed a lot, a player ‌that brings the team into a ‌different dimension. So, I’m really happy to have him back very soon,” Arteta ‍told reporters.

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Centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, out since last month with a hamstring injury, has not returned to ‍training yet, the manager said. Fellow centre-back Cristhian Mosquera and right-back Ben White are also out with injuries.

Arteta’s men, who have finished second in the Premier League three times in a row, lost at Aston Villa earlier this month, before getting two scrappy wins over Wolverhampton ⁠Wanderers and Everton to remain two points ahead of Manchester City.

Arsenal will ​play Villa again on December 30.

“Well, we need to ⁠obviously prepare for what is coming… and enjoy the pleasure and the opportunity that we have to be playing at this level, in this country, with the ⁠history that we have here,” Arteta said.

Published on Dec 26, 2025