Arsenal face eight-to-10-week absence for Mariona Caldentey after hamstring injury

Arsenal midfielder Mariona Caldentey is expected to be sidelined for eight to 10 weeks with a hamstring injury, manager Renee Slegers has said, according to BBC Sport. The Spain international was injured during Arsenal's 4-2 defeat away to Manchester City on 4 October and subsequently did not join her national team.

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Slegers described the injury as significant, while stressing that the recovery timetable remains an estimate. She said further scans were being carried out and that the healing process was progressing well. Arsenal are hoping Caldentey can return sooner than the current projection, but the manager did not give a confirmed date for her comeback.

Caldentey has played an important role since arriving from Barcelona two years ago. She was named the Women's Super League's Player of the Year for the 2024-25 season, and her absence comes with Arsenal struggling for results. The club have won only one of their first five league matches this season and sit 10th in the table.

Arsenal resume their WSL campaign at home to Birmingham City on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 12:45 BST. Caldentey is not the only player unavailable: England forward Chloe Kelly and Germany international Selina Cerci will also miss that match through injury. BBC Sport reported that Arsenal's difficult start has prompted questions about Slegers' position as manager.

Cerci, who joined Arsenal in the summer, has undergone knee surgery after an existing problem worsened. Slegers said the forward had been managing discomfort and had missed parts of pre-season, making it harder for her to establish herself in the team. Although Cerci had remained available and taken part in most training sessions, the condition was continuing to affect her.

According to Slegers, a scan carried out by Germany led to the decision that surgery was the best course of treatment for Cerci. The manager said she would be absent for a period but did not specify a return date. Arsenal therefore approach the Birmingham fixture without three attacking options, with Caldentey facing a potentially lengthy recovery and Cerci beginning her rehabilitation following the operation.