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An under-discussed and overlooked aspect of Arsenal's start to this season is the absence of William Saliba. Think back to the end of 2022/23. Mikel Arteta's team fell apart defensively when the Frenchman suffered a season-ending injury against Sporting in the Europa League.
Thus, it is a credit to his current understudies Ezri Konsa and Cristhian Mosquera, that the Gunners won seven out of seven to start to the season, before what we all hope is just a blip at Brighton. Perhaps that was the first time Saliba's absence was really felt.
No matter how highly you rate Konsa and Mosquera, it is undeniable that having a fully fit Saliba elevates this team from front to back, so could the 25 year old soon be back in action? Well, according to a report by Hugo Delom of L'Équipe, published on Thursday morning, the defender has returned to training on grass and is running outdoors again. This is always viewed as a key step in any player's recovery.
The most eye-catching aspect of the report though is that Saliba is targeting a return "at the start of November", which would be a major boost for Arteta. The centre-back exacerbated a back issue throughout the World Cup, thereby forced off during the first half of France's semi-final defeat against eventual winners Spain at AT&T Stadium in Texas on 14 July.
After careful consideration among Arsenal's medical staff, in consultation with Saliba, they decided against having surgery, which could prolong his current absence, but will, hopefully, fix the issue long-term. Thus, if Saliba is back in action in November, that would be a triumph, so in which fixture could he return?
Arsenal's fixtures in November
- Sunday 1 November: Liverpool - Anfield. Premier League. Kick off 4:30pm.
- Wednesday 4 November: Slavia Prague - Fortuna Arena. Champions League. Kick off 8pm.
- Saturday 7 November: Hull City - Emirates Stadium. Premier League. Kick off 3pm.
- Saturday 21 November: Newcastle United - St James' Park. Premier League. Kick off 5:30pm.
- Tuesday 24 November: Borussia Dortmund - Emirates Stadium. Champions League. Kick off 8pm.
- Sunday 29 November: Manchester City - Emirates Stadium. Premier League. Kick of 4:30pm.
Knowing when would be the best time to ease Saliba back into action is tough to forecast. Arsenal's Carabao Cup tie at Fleetwood Town is likely to come too soon, while Arteta is not going to throw him back into action at Anfield.
After the international break, yes there is another one, the Gunners face Newcastle away, Manchester City at home and then Brentford, Tottenham, Bournemouth and Manchester United in six successive Premier League matches. That is a sequence of games all against top sides, and they play Spurs too.
There is also home Champions League matches against Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid and a possible EFL Cup quarter-final thrown into this period too. Thus, ideally, perhaps the Slavia Prague game would be a good chance to help Saliba regain some match sharpness, even if only briefly off the bench, but who knows when we will see him, despite this positive update regarding his fitness.
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