Championship hopes shaken as "Arsenal" faces two latest bad news after thrashing Leeds and leading the top spot by 7 points.
On 1 Feb 2026 GMT+7, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed two bad news items after the Premier League match where Arsenal crushed Leeds United 4-0 away, reaching 53 points and leading the Premier League table. They are now 7 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City and third-placed Aston Villa, though having played one more match.
However, Mikel Arteta confirmed Arsenal suffered two additional player injuries: Bukayo Saka, the key winger who was injured during the warm-up before the game, requiring Noni Madueke to replace him; and Mikel Merino, the versatile midfielder who injured his foot and was not even named among the substitutes.
The Arsenal coach spoke about Bukayo Saka's injury: "During the warm-up, he experienced a slight injury and didn't feel well enough to start the match. We decided to substitute him immediately and brought on Noni, who was very ready because you can't do that within just two minutes."
"Noni's preparation and patience for his opportunity paid off today, as he made a significant impact on the team (he set up Martin Zubimendi's 1-0 goal and delivered a corner kick that pressured Karl Darlow into an own goal, making the score 2-0)."
Arteta also revealed that Mikel Merino's absence from the match against Leeds was due to a foot injury, and he is currently consulting specialist doctors to determine how long he will need to rest.
