William Saliba is back in running training. A recent scan on the back fracture he sustained during France’s World Cup semi-final against Spain showed his recovery was on track, and L’Équipe’s Hugo Delom now reports the centre-back is targeting a comeback in November.
The timeline has firmed up quickly. Only a week ago, Fabrice Hawkins reported for L’Équipe that Saliba could be back in competition in December if everything went well. Before that, Mikel Arteta had ruled him out until at least October, with the Arsenal manager choosing to lean on existing options rather than chase a replacement in the summer. The running work moves the 25-year-old a step closer to a Premier League return.
Saliba broke down in the first half of France’s semi-final defeat to Spain on 14 July. He had been managing a back problem through the second half of Arsenal’s title-winning season.
Niggles that would not go away
The pre-World Cup warning signs had been there. Speaking to L’Équipe before the tournament, Saliba said he had been carrying “some minor niggles for several months”. When Arsenal weighed up surgery against a slower, conservative route, the defender opted for the latter. The club initially feared a five-month lay-off if he went under the knife.
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Konsa holds the back line
Arsenal, the defending Premier League champions, have been without Saliba for the opening weeks of the new season. Ezri Konsa, who joined from Aston Villa on 21 August in a deal worth up to £55m, has taken the vacant slot next to Gabriel Magalhães. The England international signed a four-year contract with the option of a further year.
That new partnership was pulled apart in Arsenal’s first defeat of the season, a 3-0 loss away at Brighton before the international break. “They were second to every first and second ball, something that hasn’t happened much over the last 18 months,” Last Word on Sports wrote of the performance.
Newcastle the realistic target
Arsenal visit Anfield on 1 November and host Hull City six days later. With Saliba only resuming running this week, a trip to Newcastle on 21 November, immediately after the next international break, reads as the realistic target for his first appearance. A home meeting with Manchester City follows on 29 November.
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