• Centre-back's achilles injury will need four more weeks to heal • Lukasz Fabianski and Abou Diaby return to fitness

Arsène Wenger revealed today that Thomas Vermaelen would be out of first-team action for Arsenal for at least another month.

The Belgium defender has been absent since August with a troublesome achilles injury that was initially thought to have ruled him out for only a matter of days. Wenger confirmed two weeks ago that the centre-back would return in January but has now decided to delay his comeback until the end of that month.

"I would rather say late January," said the Arsenal manager, whose side have struggled defensively in Vermaelen's absence. "He is short on fitness and we have to build it up. That will take three to four weeks.

"He has started now and the signs are good. But I have been hit so many times with backlash that I am very cautious with Vermaelen."

There was better news on the recovery of Kieran Gibbs, who has been out for two weeks with an ankle problem. "Gibbs should be available at the beginning of January," said Wenger, who is also without goalkeeper Manuel Almunia until next month.

It was therefore a boost for the manager today when he learned that Lukasz Fabianski would return to the squad for Monday's Premier League match against Chelsea. Injuries to Fabianski (hip) and Almunia (ankle) forced Wenger to blood Wojciech Szczesny in the 1-0 defeat at Manchester United nine days ago.

Abou Diaby is also back in contention after almost two months out with an ankle injury. Both Fabianski and Diaby would have been in the squad for Saturday's postponed match with Stoke, as would Cesc Fábregas and Robin van Persie, but the break has allowed the quartet to move closer to match fitness.

"We have everybody back," Wenger said. "We had them in the squad for Stoke: Diaby, Fábregas, Van Persie – Fabianski, too. They have had one more week to prepare for this game and build up their fitness. That will have helped them of course. So, overall we miss only Vermaelen, Almunia and Kieran Gibbs now.

"They will not be back in the short term – over Christmas – but everybody else is available."