Arsenal’s international break has delivered another uneasy moment, with Christos Tzolis joining a growing list of fitness concerns around Mikel Arteta’s squad.

The winger’s evening in Thessaloniki turned quickly in the 16th minute, when he went to ground holding his hamstring during the clash with the Netherlands. He received treatment and seemed intent on continuing, but manager Ivan Jovanović decided otherwise and ordered him off. Tzolis was unhappy with the decision.

“I’m his coach, I tell him to come out and he says, ‘I’m not coming out,’” Jovanović revealed postgame. “This is something that can characterize the Greek and all these kids who come to play for the national team regardless of age. I think it was a scene that everyone saw, those who were nearby. I told him to get out, because I suspected that he wouldn’t have done that [asked for treatment] if he hadn’t felt something.”

Jovanović later said Tzolis had suffered a “muscular problem” and added: “It wasn’t a problem, like an ankle or something else,” the manager outlined. “When it’s muscular issues, that, along with the doctors, with the immediate information I have, was the reason I asked for him to come out immediately.”

Further scans are due before Greece meet Germany this weekend, leaving his availability uncertain. “We don’t know how much damage was done today, but I hoped it was just a twitch, something temporary,” Jovanović shrugged.

For Arsenal, the concern lands amid a broader run of setbacks. Declan Rice was ruled out before Thomas Tuchel could assess him, while Kai Havertz lasted only 30 minutes before a clash with Quinten Timber forced him off. The German FA later confirmed Havertz had suffered a “muscle strain,” with no recovery timeline given.

Rice remains a doubt for Arsenal’s Premier League return against Leeds United on Saturday, Oct. 10, while Havertz may yet recover in time for next weekend, though Arteta will be cautious after his striker’s recent injury record. Since tearing his hamstring in February 2025, Havertz has missed 26 matches with various muscular complaints. Tzolis, meanwhile, has started all five of Arsenal’s Premier League fixtures so far and had arrived with a strong injury record, making this latest scare particularly unwelcome for the club.

The September and October international windows were meant to ease the strain of the autumn schedule, but they have instead added to it. Across a long list of top-level names, the break delivered fresh fitness concerns for clubs already bracing for a demanding 2026/27 campaign.

Manchester United were among the hardest hit. Before the break even began, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo withdrew from England duty, while Benjamin Šeško also pulled out with Slovenia. Matters deepened as the window went on, with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus saying Bruno Fernandes was “playing through pain” with a “complicated” injury that ruled him out against Norway. Fernandes remained with the national side and has since recovered. Patrick Dorgu was not as fortunate, returning to Manchester after a hamstring injury with Denmark, while Noussair Mazraoui also picked up a problem in Morocco’s win over Lesotho.

Arsenal had their own worries. Declan Rice withdrew from England’s squad before matches against Spain, Croatia and Czechia, and Kai Havertz later suffered a hamstring issue while with Germany. Martin Ødegaard was also unsettled after a challenge from Portugal’s Bernardo Silva, then missed training before Norway faced Wales, although he stayed with the squad. Ezri Konsa was not training ahead of England’s meeting with Czechia and was an unused substitute in the 2–0 win, though he remained with the team.

Kylian Mbappé provided the biggest scare of the break when he appeared to suffer a knee injury for France and played only 59 minutes before leaving the squad. The positive for Real Madrid is that he appears to have avoided a major setback and is expected back for domestic action. Ibrahima Konaté also sustained a knee injury with France, described by the French Football Federation as “mild.”

Barcelona were again affected when Raphinha suffered a thigh injury in Brazil’s 4–2 win over Australia and returned to Catalonia. Eric García also withdrew after a knee issue with Spain.

Liverpool, too, had reason for concern when Alexander Isak lasted only one game for Sweden before coming back to Merseyside with a thigh issue.

Norway boss Ståle Solbakken has admitted he cannot yet say whether Martin Ødegaard will be available for Thursday’s match against Wales, leaving Arsenal with an anxious wait over their captain.

Solbakken’s assessment was cautious rather than alarming, but he made clear that a final call is still pending. “I wish I could say yes, but I can’t say that. I can’t say no either,” Solbakken said, when asked whether Ødegaard will play against Wales. “He will be tested a bit today. If he had been unavailable, he obviously wouldn’t have been here.”

Ødegaard was back on the grass on Wednesday, though his involvement in the Nations League fixture remains unresolved. His presence in the camp offers some encouragement, but it does not amount to a guarantee that he will feature.

The midfielder’s fitness history explains why Arsenal supporters are watching developments so closely. During the first international break of 2024, Ødegaard suffered an ankle injury that kept him out of 12 matches for Arsenal. He was also affected by a number of other fitness concerns across his 2025–26 campaign.

Even so, he has started the new campaign in strong form and has looked close to his best in the early weeks of the season. That has only heightened the concern around any fresh setback, however minor it may prove to be.

Arsenal would probably have preferred Norway to release him as a precaution, but his continued stay with the squad suggests there is still a realistic chance he could be passed fit. As Solbakken noted, Norway would not have allowed him back into training if there were no possibility of him being ready to play.