Sky Sports reported on 25 September 2026 that Kai Havertz was returning to Arsenal for assessment after an injury on Germany duty. Its analysis raised a specific concern: another absence would leave Viktor Gyokeres as the club’s only out-and-out striking option, although Mikel Merino had also played there.
The Leeds selection on 10 October provides a later answer. Fantasy Football Scout’s confirmed team news lists Havertz in Arsenal’s starting eleven and Gyokeres among the substitutes. Havertz’s international withdrawal therefore did not prevent his selection for the first league match after the break.
Almost Signed analysis: Arsenal entered that game with a choice between Havertz and Gyokeres, rather than being forced into the single-striker-availability scenario described in September. The selection supports that match-specific conclusion; it does not establish a permanent hierarchy between the forwards or erase Havertz’s injury history. The old concern should be retained as the question at the time, not presented as the situation after the Leeds lineup.