William Saliba has announced himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League in his debut season for Arsenal.
After loan spells with Saint-Etienne, Nice, and Marseille, the 22-year-old has proven his quality in English football as the Gunners fight for their first league title in 19 years.
He was named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for his brilliant performances at Marseille, and earned a spot in their team of the year. This season he has partnered Gabriel in the heart of the Arsenal defence, and his presence has been key for Mikel Arteta.
| Stats (Premier League) | Arsenal | With Saliba | Without Saliba |
|---|---|---|---|
| Played | 32 | 27 | 5 |
| Won | 23 | 21 | 2 |
| Drawn | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Lost | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Goals for | 77 | 62 | 15 |
| Goals against | 34 | 25 | 9 |
| Win rate | 71.9% | 77.8% | 40% |
| Points per game | 2.34 | 2.44 | 1.8 |
Although Arsenal have only played their last six league games without Saliba, they have been immediately affected by the defender's absence.
The Gunners are yet to keep a clean sheet when Saliba is not playing, and failed to hold onto two-goal leads in back-to-back games against Liverpool and West Ham.
Rob Holding has come into the starting lineup for Saliba, forcing a few tactical tweaks from Arteta too. In their 3-3 draw against Southampton, Thomas Partey would drop into a deeper position when Arsenal built attacks from the goalkeeper.
They shipped in four against Manchester City and with Saliba still sidelined with injury, The Sporting News brings you up to date on the latest news about when he'll return.
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How long is William Saliba out?
Saliba was forced off during Arsenal's Europa League Round of 16 second-leg against Sporting Lisbon at the Emirates on March 16. He was replaced in the 21st minute, with fellow defender Takehiro Tomiyasu picking up a season-ending injury minutes earlier.
Arteta has stated that there has been no improvement to the defender's injury, despite already missing six games for the north London side.
The France international has been ruled out of the match against Chelsea on May 2, with Arteta saying: "He's not going to be involved tomorrow. We will have to wait until the next game to see where we are."
What is William Saliba's injury?
Saliba injured his back after an awkward landing in Arsenal's win over Fulham on March 12, before aggravating it against Sporting four days later.
It's the first time he has injured his back in his professional career, and his first injury in over three years. He picked up a hamstring problem at the end of the 2018/19 season, which saw him miss nine games, and then a fractured metatarsal in the 2019/20 campaign saw him out for two months.
Mild back injuries usually last between three to four weeks, but a more severe injury could last months. Due to Arsenal's weekly checkups, it is unlikely that Saliba will be out for months, unless he requires surgery.
When is William Saliba back?
Arsenal have five games left in the season after being knocked out of the FA Cup and Europa League. Their final game is against Wolves at home on May 28.
| Fixtures | Date |
|---|---|
| Chelsea (H) | Tue, May 2 |
| Newcastle (A) | Sun, May 7 |
| Brighton (H) | Sun, May 14 |
| Nottingham Forest (A) | Sat, May 20 |
| Wolves (H) | Sun, May 28 |
Arteta will want Saliba back as soon as possible so Arsenal challenge Man City with a full strength team. Their trip to Newcastle will certainly be difficult with the Magpies pushing for a Champions League spot.
If the Gunners can stay in the title race with three games to go, the return of Saliba could be exactly what they need to help them secure the trophy.
Speaking on April 25, Arteta said: "I’ll leave that to the doctors to explain if they have to explain. At the moment, we don’t have him.
"We are preparing for this game without him and next game [against Chelsea] obviously probably is going to come too close as well so we have to go week-by-week at the moment."