It’s a good job that Arsenal are amassing players at a furious rate, as they’re losing them just as quickly.
Having already been deprived of Kai Havertz (£7.5m) and Ben White (£5.5m) this week, the Gunners saw Martin Odegaard (£8.0m) and Bukayo Saka (£10.0m) depart Saturday’s win over Leeds United early.
We start with injury updates on those two as we deliver our Scout Notes from the Emirates.
- READ MORE: FPL notes: Ait-Nouri injury + Frank on the value of clean sheets
- READ MORE: FPL Gameweek 2: Saturday’s goals, assists, bonus + ‘DefCon’ points
SAKA AND ODEGAARD INJURIES
Odegaard was a first-half casualty after landing on his shoulder, while Saka’s hamstring gave out not long after the interval.
The latter at least spared his owners the ignominy of a one-pointer, lashing in his first goal of 2025/26 shortly before the break.
Mikel Arteta said he was “quite concerned” when interviewed by the BBC after full-time, while he offered a little bit more detail in his post-match press conference.
“Martin felt something in his shoulder when he landed. We don’t know, we’ll have to scan him tomorrow and understand a bit better. And Bukayo, while he was carrying the ball, wrestling with the defender, he felt something in his hamstring. Let’s see, I think it’s the other one, it’s not the same one as the previous injury.” – Mikel Arteta
“I don’t know, he felt something while he was sprinting. That’s never a good sign. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow, speak to the doctors and understand better what he’s done. But he’s had his injuries before, he knows exactly the feeling of that, so let’s wait.” – Mikel Arteta when asked if Bukayo Saka’s injury is serious
Depending on the severity of Saka’s injury (you wouldn’t be surprised if he showed at Anfield next week…), Noni Madueke (£7.0m) might get a shot at his favoured right flank in Gameweek 3. The former Chelsea man certainly looked brighter when switching to that side after Saka’s departure, having started the game on the left.
GYOKERES OFF THE MARK – AND ON PENS
Another new boy, Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m), is off the mark.
His opener was a trademark Gyokeres goal, the forward cutting in off the left, driving towards goal and shooting with his favoured right foot.
The Swede’s second strike was another customary effort: a penalty. He scored 20 out of 20 for Sporting last season, dispatching his first for Arsenal confidently after the impressive 15-year-old substitute Max Dowman (£4.5m) had been fouled.
Saka and Odegaard were, of course, off the field when the spot-kick was awarded but there have been suggestions in recent days that Gyokeres is first in line regardless.
Other than that… he was actually pretty average. His link-up play was poor, he looks cumbersome at times and he screwed an early big chance wide.
But we knew his limitations before he signed. He’s not someone to sling the ball into the box to. He excels when there are quick transitions, not slow build-ups. He is, as the kids say, a ‘bagsman’.
The good news: it sounds like Arsenal are trying to adapt to their striker, not vice-versa.
“It’s clear where Viktor is really dangerous, but he’s a superpower and let’s put him as much as possible in those kinds of scenarios because something good will happen.” – Mikel Arteta
MORE SET-PIECE JOY AS TIMBER ALMOST BREAKS FPL RECORD
The co-leaders for set-piece goals in 2024/25, Arsenal are already back at the summit – this time, with Chelsea.
Two of the Gunners’ five goals on Saturday came from corners, both of which were converted by Jurrien Timber (£5.5m). For the second successive week, Declan Rice (£6.5m) claimed an assist from a dead-ball situation.
Timber also assisted Saka’s goal and, having banked a clean sheet and maximum bonus, finished on a whopping 24 points – three short of the all-time record for a single Gameweek score by a defender:
Jurrien Timber’s 24-point haul is the third-highest ever by a defender in a single Gameweek 🤯#FPL pic.twitter.com/H0P9GusQt3
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 23, 2025
Both full-backs were eye-catching, with Riccardo Calafiori (£5.6m) bombing forward from left-back. Timber and Calafiori each registered a match-best five goal actions (shots and chances created combined).
ARTETA ON EZE
Eberechi Eze (£7.5m) is now officially an Arsenal player, having been unveiled before kick-off.
His new manager had this to say about him:
“I think he has the capacity to create these magic moments. He can do it from different positions, different situations. He’s got that flair, he’s got that charisma as well about him that is very contagious, and let’s use it in the right way.
“He can play different positions, we know he can play as an attacking midfielder, right or left, he doesn’t care. He plays shifted off the left as well. He’s very comfortable there.
“We’ll gather information again the moment he’s on that pitch and starts to link and feel a connection with people. I’m sure we will find the right place for him.” – Mikel Arteta on Eberechi Eze
Wherever he operates, there probably doesn’t need to be a rush for his services in FPL with the following run ahead:
LEEDS OUTCLASSED
“Too good for us” was Daniel Farke’s assessment after the game. But, as the Leeds boss also said, these fixtures won’t define his side’s season.
The visitors made a bright-ish start, with Daniel James (£5.5m) having a couple of blocked efforts and Pascal Struijk (£4.5m) drawing a fine save from David Raya (£5.5m) with a header from a corner.
Anton Stach (£5.0m), one of the more appealing £5.0m midfielders in FPL, set up all three opportunities. He’s now the leading Fantasy midfielder for chances created (seven) this season.
But, from the 20th minute onwards, the Whites didn’t have a single shot. Their concession of six set-piece chances in both fixtures so far will also be of interest to Dan Burn (£5.0m), Fabian Schar (£5.5m) et al in Gameweek 3.
Joe Rodon (£4.0m) at least emerged with DefCon points as some compensation.
