The injury storm sweeps through Europe's top clubs

The new season in Europe's top national leagues has only just started with several rounds, but many teams have encountered squad problems as fresh injuries keep arising, complicating their forthcoming competition phases significantly.

In the English Premier League, the most notable injury concerns involve the two London clubs — Arsenal and Chelsea. Arsenal is struggling with long-term injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus. Additionally, other key players, especially in the attack, are sidelined with various injuries such as Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and most recently, the newcomer Noni Madueke. Statistics show that the last match where Mikel Arteta had a full complement of forwards was against Crystal Palace in December last year. Defensively, new signing Piero Hincapie is also battling a groin injury. These ongoing injuries over several months have earned Arsenal the nickname "the hospital club" — a term used for teams with many players consistently out due to injuries.

Their city rivals Chelsea are not faring much better. Before the new season started, The Blues had six center-backs plus new signing Jorrel Hato, who can play as a left-sided center-back if needed. However, before their match against Brighton, only Chalobah and Acheampong remained fit in central defense. During the game against the Seagulls, Chelsea’s defensive options dwindled further when Chalobah received a red card and was sent off. This poses a tough challenge for coach Enzo Maresca, especially as the season's final stretch approaches. Moreover, upfront, Chelsea also lost Cole Palmer and Liam Delap, intensifying the squad crisis.

Besides Chelsea and Arsenal, other major clubs in the Premier League are also dealing with numerous injuries, such as Liverpool with Giovanni Leoni, Newcastle with Fabian Schar, Jacob Ramsey, Yoane Wissa, and Manchester City facing a wave of injuries including Ryan Cherki, Omar Marmoush, Ait-Nouri, Mateo Kovacic,... forcing coaches to scramble for replacements.

In Spain, both Real Madrid and Barcelona have been continuously receiving bad news regarding injuries to key players. At Camp Nou, Barcelona paid a high price when Raphinha got injured during their win over Real Oviedo last Thursday. Prior to that, they lost their first-choice goalkeeper Joan Garcia due to an injury during training, expected to be out for 4 to 6 weeks. Lamine Yamal also faced health issues while training and playing with the Spanish national team. The absence of this 18-year-old talent has significantly weakened Barca’s attacking strength recently.

Additionally, they have suffered two other injuries involving Gavi and Fermin Lopez. Notably, midfielder Gavi must now sit out an additional five months following recent surgery, with the earliest possible return in February 2026. Previously, he missed nearly the entire 2023/2024 season due to ligament and meniscus injuries. Recent medical examinations revealed issues with his meniscus, necessitating surgery. This injury crisis presents a tough challenge for Barcelona, especially with demanding upcoming matches against Real Sociedad in La Liga and reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.

Barcelona’s archrival Real Madrid is also facing a personnel crisis with many key players injured. During the Madrid derby, the royal team suffered injuries to center-back Eder Militao and right-back Dani Carvajal, adding to their growing list of absentees. Prior to this, Xabi Alonso’s squad was already missing important defensive players like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rudiger, and Ferland Mendy, forcing him to rotate the lineup to cope with the available personnel.

In France, reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain, after an extremely successful 2024/2025 season, are showing signs of overload. Key PSG players have been stretched thin across multiple competitions last season without quality reinforcements to replace them.

Several key players who contributed to last season’s triumphs are now struggling with injuries, including Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, captain Marquinhos, Desire Doue, Joao Neves, Fabian Ruiz,...

Most recently, in their Ligue 1 victory over Auxerre, the Parc des Princes side suffered two more injuries to forward Khivicha Kvaratskhelia and midfielder Vitinha, extending the team’s list of injured players. Consequently, Luis Enrique has lost nearly half of his starting lineup ahead of a challenging trip to Barcelona in the Champions League.

With the new season only a few rounds in and injuries already piling up, questions arise about the quality of medical staff at these clubs, as well as the congested schedule created by multiple new competitions organized by European football authorities, which is causing player overload. The injury problem can only be resolved if all stakeholders find common ground and solutions together.

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