William Saliba out for extended period with back injury

William Saliba out for extended period with back injury

Arsenal have confirmed that central defender William Saliba will miss an extended period of action due to a back injury. The 25-year-old France international returned to London this week following the World Cup, where he helped his national team reach the semi-finals.

According to a club statement, specialist reviews conducted upon Saliba's return confirmed the injury. While the defender is expected to be sidelined for a significant duration, Arsenal stated that extensive assessments concluded surgery is not recommended. Instead, Saliba will begin a managed recovery programme and a period of rehabilitation immediately.

The injury is described as a chronic and recurring problem. Saliba had been managing the issue throughout the Gunners' title-winning season and remained determined to play through the World Cup. However, the defender expressed that the injury had caused him excruciating pain.

During the tournament, Saliba admitted to dealing with minor niggles for several months, noting that he had been gritting my teeth because of the importance of the Premier League, the Champions League, and the World Cup. His condition eventually impacted his playing time for France; he missed a match against Norway and was substituted in the 30th minute of the semi-final defeat to Spain. He also sat out the third-place play-off following that loss.

The club stated:

"William Saliba has returned to us from World Cup duty, where he played an integral role in France reaching the semi-finals of the competition. Subsequent specialist reviews on William's return to London this week have confirmed that he has suffered a back injury which will require a period of rehabilitation. Extensive assessments have concluded that surgery is not recommended, but William should now commence a managed recovery programme. William's rehabilitation will commence immediately, with continual management of his injury, and he is expected to be out of action for an extended period. Everyone is fully focused on supporting William to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible."

Arsenal statement, via Sky Sports

The injury blow comes as Arsenal navigate other fitness concerns within their defensive line. Jurrien Timber remains in rehabilitation for a groin injury that prevented him from participating in the World Cup, though the defender said he is hopefully back soon.

There are, however, positive developments for the Premier League champions. Ben White has returned to pre-season training. White had been sidelined with a knee injury sustained in May during a 1-0 victory over West Ham, which was the third-from-last game of the 2025/26 Premier League season. That injury had previously ruled him out of the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

To fill the void at centre-back, Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera are both available and back for pre-season. Additionally, Piero Hincapie is expected to return to training within the next week following the elimination of Ecuador from the World Cup Round of 32. Gabriel Magalhaes is also expected to reunite with the squad soon.