Ben White omitted from Arsenal squad for Brighton trip after groin injury

Ben White was left out of Arsenal’s squad for the trip to the American Express Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion in the fifth matchweek of the 2026-27 Premier League on September 19, 2026. He did not feature because of a groin injury sustained in the previous league match.

The Mikel Arteta-led side entered the Brighton fixture as defending champions and had won all of their first seven matches of the season. Arsenal began the campaign by beating Manchester City to claim the FA Community Shield and had opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 1-0 victory against Napoli. The club faced an international window in September–October that would allow unfit players extra recovery time.

White suffered a groin injury and was substituted at half-time in Arsenal’s last league outing against Sunderland. To protect his recovery, the defender was not included in the matchday squad for the Brighton fixture. The club framed the decision around managing his return over the coming days.

Jurrien Timber started for Arsenal for the first time since March 2026 and was deployed at right-back. The 25-year-old Dutchman was selected to occupy the customary right-back role and was named as Arteta’s first-choice fullback for the game.

David Raya was in goal for Arsenal. Ezri Konsa, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori completed the backline alongside Timber.

Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Bruno Guimaraes were named in Arsenal’s midfield. Christos Tzolis started on the left flank, Bukayo Saka on the right, and Kai Havertz led the attack.

The upcoming September–October international window was cited as providing additional time for unfit players to recover. That scheduling context was given as part of the reason White was left out of the squad for the Brighton match.