William Saliba will not be in the Arsenal squad for Friday's Premier League opener against Coventry City. The defender is sidelined with a back problem sustained while playing for France during the 2026 World Cup.
Expected return timeframe
Saliba is currently expected to be out for a minimum of two months. There were initially major concerns that surgery would be required, which could have ruled him out for up to five months. However, the injury was not serious enough to warrant that intervention.
Arteta's update
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: "William is in rest mode at the moment. For two weeks he had to do almost nothing, don’t aggravate the injury. It’s going to take some time to heal, we know that. As quick as we have more news we can inform."
Replacement options
Cristhian Mosquera is the most direct replacement, having featured throughout pre-season and in the Community Shield win over Manchester City. Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori can also move into centre-back if Mosquera is unavailable to partner Gabriel.
