Arsenal have been enjoying a remarkable season under Mikel Arteta, challenging for the Premier League title and reaching the last 16 of the Europa League. However, their hopes of silverware have been dealt a major blow by the news that William Saliba will be out for several weeks with a back injury.
Saliba, who joined Arsenal from Saint-Etienne in 2019 but spent last season on loan at Nice, has finally established himself as a key player for the Gunners this term.
The 21-year-old has formed a solid partnership with Takehiro Tomiyasu at the heart of the defence, helping Arsenal keep 12 clean sheets in 26 league games.
Saliba’s injury occurred during Arsenal’s Europa League exit against Sporting CP on Thursday. He had to go off after only 20 minutes and was replaced by Rob Holding. According to L’Equipe, the Frenchman will miss several weeks of action due to the injury.
This is bad news for Arsenal, who are already without Tomiyasu for an unknown period after he suffered a knee injury in the same game.
The Japanese international left the Emirates on crutches and his reaction suggested that he could be facing a long spell on the sidelines.
Arsenal fans will be hoping that Saliba can recover quickly and return to action as soon as possible. He is a key player for them and they will need him if they want to end their trophy drought this season.
