Arsenal Suffers Last-Minute Injury Blow Just Hours Before Brighton Showdown
Arsenal faced another injury blow just moments before their match against Brighton & Hove Albion commenced at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The North London club was already dealing with defensive concerns as Jurriën Timber, Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera were all unavailable. This situation compelled Declan Rice to operate as a makeshift right-back, diminishing his impact in midfield.
At 2:46 p.m. GMT, with just 14 minutes remaining until kickoff, Arsenal announced a last-minute alteration to their starting eleven after left-back Riccardo Calafiori sustained what was simply termed an "issue" during pre-match preparations.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, who had established himself in that position during the previous campaign and earned England recognition as a consequence, was brought in for his inaugural Premier League appearance of the 2025–26 season.
The timing proves particularly irksome for Arsenal, coinciding with Gabriel's return to the matchday roster for the first time since sustaining an injury while on international service in mid-November. Gabriel Jesus has also made his comeback recently, while Kai Havertz is reportedly just "days" from returning to action.
Marli Salmon Returns to Arsenal Squad
Calafiori's withdrawal resulted in 16-year-old defender Marli Salmon being included in the matchday roster as a substitute.
The adaptable youngster, who can operate at right-back or center-back, has appeared several times in recent weeks and demonstrates Arteta's readiness to provide opportunities to emerging talents.
Salmon was among the substitutes for the Premier League loss to Aston Villa earlier this month and received his senior debut during the final seven minutes of the Champions League victory over Club Brugge days later, before appearing on the bench against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup four days prior.
The defender, who was raised in northeast London, had previously been included in the senior squad during the 2025 preseason—while still just 15 years old. He won't celebrate his 17th birthday until August 29 of next year.
Speaking about Salmon's participation against Club Brugge, Arteta commented: "We needed to carefully evaluate it because we were facing a strong team that had achieved impressive results in the Champions League at home, but we understood that eventually we would need to utilize him.
"He was prepared, he was ready, he's capable of playing center-back or full-back and I'm thrilled. He's incredibly young, still 16, and he's competing in the Champions League. What an amazing evening for him."