Arteta Defends Arsenal’s Players Withdrawal From International Duties

Mikel Arteta has dismissed concerns over Arsenal’s growing list of international withdrawals, insisting the club kept “very good relationship and communication” with national teams throughout the latest break.

Across the Premier League, 228 players received call-ups for World Cup qualifiers and friendlies in March 2026. Twenty-three later pulled out, with Arsenal accounting for nearly half of that number, fuelling speculation about injuries or caution at the club.

Arteta rejected those suggestions and stressed every decision was medically justified and shared with the relevant federations, including England boss Thomas Tuchel.

“We have a very good relationship and communication with most of the national teams; certainly with Thomas too,” Arteta 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 began after the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City. Defender William Saliba ruled himself out of France duty with an ankle injury, followed by centre-back partner Gabriel Magalhães due to a knee problem.

They were soon joined by Eberechi Eze, Martin Ødegaard, Jurriën Timber and Leandro Trossard, all of whom had missed the Wembley defeat through injury.

After joining their national camps, five more players withdrew. Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka pulled out with knocks, Noni Madueke injured his knee against Uruguay, while Martín Zubimendi and Piero Hincapié also withdrew.

Arteta insisted his players remain eager to represent their countries. “When you are fit and available to play for the national team, you have to play,” he added.

“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.”

Attention now turns to the FA Cup, where Arsenal visit Southampton in Saturday’s quarter-final. Arteta confirmed Eze will miss the tie, but Ødegaard and Timber could return, while Madueke is a doubt after avoiding a serious injury.

Asked how many of the 11 players who withdrew might feature, 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.”