Gabriel Martinelli has handed Arsenal a fresh injury concern ahead of their upcoming trip to Bournemouth. The young Brazilian forward sustained an injury while on international duty with Brazil, adding to the injury woes that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been dealing with this season.
Martinelli had been a key figure in Arteta’s Arsenal side, having started in all Premier League and Champions League matches this season, scoring two goals along the way. He was recently called up to the Brazil squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where he made his 14th appearance for the national side in their victory over Chile.
While on international duty, Martinelli experienced pain in his right calf and underwent an MRI scan which revealed a small area of muscle edema in the area. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) stated that Martinelli is currently undergoing physiotherapy treatment with the national team’s medical department, indicating that he will not be returning to Arsenal immediately.
Arsenal already have a list of injury concerns with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Kai Havertz, and Thomas Partey all facing various fitness issues. Saka limped off during England’s match against Greece, while Odegaard is still recovering from ankle ligament damage sustained while on international duty with Norway.
It remains to be seen if any of the injured players will be fit in time to face Bournemouth over the weekend. Arsenal will be hoping for a swift recovery for Martinelli and the rest of their injured stars as they look to navigate through this challenging period of the season.