Konsa Returns to Arsenal Early as England Withdrawal Leaves Leeds Doubtful
Ezri Konsa has left the England camp with a quad problem after playing 90 minutes against Croatia, and Arsenal face a wait to see if their summer signing makes Saturday's opener against Leeds United.
Published 7 Oct 2026Updated 7 Oct 20262 min read
Arsenal's restart begins with a holding of breath. Ezri Konsa has returned to the club early after withdrawing from the England squad ahead of Tuesday's Nations League meeting with Czechia, and the defender's availability for Saturday's lunchtime kick-off against Leeds United is already uncertain.
What Tuchel said
England head coach Thomas Tuchel explained the decision in detail: Konsa reported for international duty carrying a minor problem, played through discomfort against Spain, and then took another knock in the 7-0 win over Croatia in Rijeka. “Unfortunately, he got another hit on the quad and that caused a light trauma, and we decided not to let him play through this pain, so he left camp to get treatment for both his issues now,” Tuchel said. “I think nothing major, but not worth the risk taking.” He was quick to stress the problem is a knock rather than a muscle injury.
Konsa started seven of England's eight games at the World Cup and has been building fitness steadily since his move from Aston Villa late in the summer window. He had started Arsenal's last three league matches before the break and completed the full 90 minutes in both of England's opening fixtures of this window.
What it means for Leeds
Standard Sport understands the injury is not believed to be serious, but it is not yet clear whether the centre-back will be fit for the visit of Leeds, the opening fixture of Matchweek 6. Trevoh Chalobah had already been lined up to start for England against Czechia, so the withdrawal was managed as a precaution rather than a panic.
The break has been less kind elsewhere in Mikel Arteta's squad. Christos Tzolis is out after picking up a hamstring injury with Greece, and Kai Havertz remains in the treatment room with the muscle problem he suffered against the Netherlands. On the positive side, William Saliba and Mosquera are closing on returns, which softens the blow if Konsa needs more time.
Arsenal expect to know more once Konsa is assessed in the coming days. A dead leg on its own would not usually rule a defender out; a week of two separate knocks might. Either way, Arteta now knows his back line will start the restart with a question mark in it.