Arsenal injury news: Arteta gives Bruno Guimaraes and Christian Mosquera updates before Chelsea

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will assess Bruno Guimaraes and Christian Mosquera before Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Chelsea at Emirates Stadium.

Guimaraes made his first Premier League appearance for Arsenal in the victory over Aston Villa but suffered a knock during the match. The midfielder will be monitored ahead of the London derby, with the club hoping he can take part in Saturday’s training session.

“Bruno suffered a knock against Villa in the previous game and he is being assessed,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference. “Hopefully he will be fine to train on Saturday.”

Mosquera also left the win at Aston Villa with a physical problem, although Arteta said the decision to withdraw him was largely precautionary. The match also saw Ezri Konsa make his first appearance against his former club after replacing the summer arrival.

“With Christian, it was more precautionary than anything else, so we will have to see how he feels during training on Saturday,” Arteta said.

“Ezri is definitely available for the squad, so we will see when we select the team.”

Arsenal return to Emirates Stadium after successive league victories over Coventry City and Aston Villa. Their next opponents, Chelsea, are managed by Xabi Alonso, setting up an all-London contest between two clubs with new-season ambitions.

Arteta also provided a positive update on Jurrien Timber, who has returned to full training with his team-mates. The defender’s recovery is progressing well, although his involvement against Chelsea will be decided after Saturday’s session.

“Jurrien is in a very good place at the moment,” said Arteta. “He has spent a few weeks on the pitch and is training with us, so he is in a very good position. We will decide how much he can play on Sunday after training on Saturday.”

William Saliba is continuing his own recovery. He has been included in Arsenal’s UEFA Champions League squad and is therefore eligible to feature in the upcoming league-phase matches.

Arteta admitted, however, that the club do not yet know how many weeks “Wilo” will be unavailable because his return depends on how he responds as his workload increases.

“We don’t really know how many weeks Wilo will be out because it is about the recovery process, and everything is slightly different,” Arteta said. “We know that we have to respect certain timelines.”

“The progress has been really positive over the last few weeks, but we have to wait and see how the injury responds when we start to put some load on it.”

The Arsenal manager also expressed his satisfaction with the squad following the close of the summer transfer window. The club completed five permanent signings, including Piero Hincapie on a permanent deal, as well as Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis, Guimaraes and Konsa.

“I love my players. That’s what I can say,” Arteta said. “I think at the end of the season we will put everyone in their place, so let’s trust them, make sure we are fully behind them and do everything we can to help the incredible talent they have.”

Arteta and Alonso were born in the same city and both spent part of their playing careers on Merseyside, with Alonso at Liverpool and Arteta at Everton.

Arteta revealed that he spoke to Alonso before the former Liverpool midfielder joined Chelsea and said he was delighted by the appointment.

“I spoke to him before he joined Chelsea. But yes, I’m very happy for him, as I said,” Arteta added.

“It’s amazing because obviously we have the history that brings us together, and the same with Andoni Iraola, and to face each other at this level, with the responsibility we have of managing some of the best clubs in the country, it is a beautiful thing to experience.”

“Our relationship has continued for many years and we have shared some great moments together. That is normal, but now there is competition, and when you face each other, you know what happens.”