Arsenal will have key attacker Kai Havertz available for their Premier League match at Brighton & Hove Albion, manager Mikel Arteta said on Friday.
Havertz, who scored the winner for Arsenal against Ipswich Town last week, missed their 3-1 away win over Brentford due to an illness which affected several players in Arteta’s squad.
Second-placed Arsenal are six points behind Liverpool, who have a game in hand, and the north London club will be looking to turn up the pressure on the leaders and cut that gap with a win over 10th-placed Brighton on Saturday.
Liverpool are next in action on Sunday, when they face Manchester United.
Asked if German Havertz would travel to the Amex Stadium, Arteta told reporters: “I think so, yes. The ones with illness, I think are going to be OK. They will train today and if everybody is fine then they will be available.
“(Raheem Sterling) is starting to do some stuff on the pitch so that is great news. Let’s see how he progresses next week and we will see if he is available for the following week.
“Ben (White) is still a few weeks away and (Takehiro) Tomiyasu has done some stuff on the pitch but we have to see. It has been a long-term injury and we have to see how quick he progresses and how he reacts.”
Arteta also explained his decision to bench midfielder Declan Rice for the win over Brentford, saying he was trying to manage the England international’s minutes.
“He’s played so much football. We had nine games in this period and he has had some niggles in the last few games where he had to come off. We have to manage every player and he is not an exception,” the Spaniard added.
Asked if Arsenal were planning on bolstering their squad with any signings in the January transfer window, Arteta said: “I don’t know. The focus is on the players that we have.
“If there is somebody in the market that we can afford and we believe they will have a real impact on the team then we have to be open for that possibility always. At the moment, the focus is on what we have.
“All the players that are here, they want to focus on performing and impacting the team and if something happens there then we will assess it.”
