Arteta: White fine for Sunderland; Mosquera and Timber are Saturday calls

Ben White is available for Arsenal's Premier League trip to Sunderland at 20:00 BST on Saturday 12 September. Mikel Arteta, speaking at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Friday 11 September, called the right-back excellent after he was seen limping in Naples. Cristhian Mosquera, out with a muscular issue since Aston Villa, is this game or the next. Jurrien Timber has trained with the group for several days. William Saliba remains out, with no week count attached.

White is the clean line

White was substituted inside the last ten minutes of the 1-0 Champions League win at Napoli on Wednesday 9 September and left the pitch walking awkwardly. The question on Friday was whether that was a new problem. Arteta shut it.

He's fine. Excellent, he's excellent.— Mikel Arteta, pre-match press conference, Sobha Realty Training Centre, 11 September 2026

Football.London, the Mirror and EPL Index all carried the same two-word diagnosis. That is the only availability Arteta treated as settled. The next fixture after Sunderland is the Carabao Cup third-round trip to Ipswich on Tuesday 15 September.

Mosquera: this game or the next

Mosquera started the season next to Gabriel while Saliba was already absent, then came off with a muscular problem in the 1-0 win at Aston Villa at the end of August. He missed Chelsea and Napoli. Ezri Konsa has filled the minutes.

Arteta, as reported by Football.London and the Evening Standard, put a two-fixture window on the return and no diagnosis beyond the muscular issue already on the club's books.

He's doing really well. Let's see if he can get this game or the next one. It will be around that time I think.— Mikel Arteta on Cristhian Mosquera, 11 September 2026

Timber has trained; Saliba has no week count

Timber has been on the grass with the first team for several days and travelled in the Napoli party without making the matchday squad. Arteta would not confirm Saturday.

Let's see, we have another training session. He's been doing really well, he's been training with us now for a few days and he looks in good shape.— Mikel Arteta on Jurrien Timber, 11 September 2026

Saliba has not played for Arsenal this season. The back problem flared on World Cup duty with France. Arteta has not added a new medical note this week. The line he has already given, carried again by the Mirror on Saturday morning, still stands.

We don't really know the amount of weeks Wilo is going to be out because it's about a healing process and everything is a bit different — we know we have to respect certain timings.— Mikel Arteta on William Saliba

Independent trackers list a mid-to-late November window. That is not a club figure. Arteta has not signed it.

The Friday briefing is the source for White, Mosquera and Timber. The Saliba line is the earlier Arteta comment, restated because he offered nothing new. Kick-off at the Stadium of Light is 20:00 BST on Saturday 12 September.

File photo: Stadium of Light, Sunderland — Rach / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.