Is Declan Rice still injured? Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal are sweating on midfielder's fitness after he was caught on camera saying his knee is 'f*cked'

Arsenal, who have opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, will be back in action on Saturday. They will, despite easing past Villa 4-1 at Emirates Stadium, hope to have Rice back at their disposal when facing the Cherries.

Arteta is, however, unsure whether the £105 million ($141m) asset will be available. There is still time for the 26-year-old to come into contention, but he will need to pass late medical assessments in order to see game time on the south coast.

Arteta told reporters when asked if the problematic swelling on Rice’s knee has gone down: “Not yet. We have another session today. Let’s see how he comes through and how that’s feeling, but that game (against Aston Villa) was too early for him.”

Rice picked up his injury in a 2-1 victory over Brighton on December 27. He played the full 90 minutes of that contest, with Arteta adding when asked if he should have handed out rests in that fixture: “No, he managed to do that (complete the game) and that’s normal. Sometimes you get a hit and throughout the game you are able to sustain that (performance) because of the adrenaline and warmth. Then the body reacted more than we expected unfortunately and that’s where we are.”

Rice was caught on camera speaking with England international team-mate Morgan Rogers following Arsenal’s impressive win over Villa. He appeared to say, in comments that worried many Gunners supporters: “My knee is just f*cked.”

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Arteta has confirmed that Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori remain sidelined, with Rice having joined them on the treatment table. Arsenal’s fitness issues are, however, beginning to ease.

At one stage in November, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz were all ruled out. Arteta said of coming through those struggles in a positive place: “That is the reality of the sport we play. But looking back in the last three seasons, we have less days of injuries than before. So it’s how you look at it. If you separate the traumatic ones and the ones that are minor injuries. We have to improve, but we are better than some of the years.”

Havertz is close to coming back into contention alongside Brazilian forward Jesus, who has been among the goals again since recovering from knee ligament damage. Returning stars are akin to new signings for Arsenal, with Arteta happy with his options.

That could lead to him steering clear of the January transfer market, with the Spaniard saying when asked again about recruitment plans early in 2026: “We are open to every option. If we can find a solution that is short, medium and long it’s always much better because it gives you stability and you don’t have to constantly start a process with a new player. Let’s see what happens in the next few weeks.”

The Gunners may still decide to spend as squad depth is going to be imperative while competing on multiple fronts at home and abroad. After playing eight games across a busy December, there are a further nine matches to be taken in throughout January.

The first of those takes Arsenal to Bournemouth, as they continue to chase down a first Premier League title since the fabled ‘Invincibles’ of 2003-04. At the start of 2026, they will also be competing in Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup action - with the likes of Liverpool, Portsmouth, Chelsea, Inter, Manchester United and Leeds on their immediate schedule.