**William Saliba was forced off with an injury during France’s World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain, leaving Arsenal with a fresh fitness concern just over a month before the Premier League season begins.**
According to Sky Sports News, the Arsenal defender was withdrawn in the 30th minute of Tuesday’s last-four tie in Dallas, with BBC Sport’s live coverage confirming he was replaced by Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix after going down clutching the back of his leg. Saliba had been carrying a long-standing back problem throughout the tournament, with France’s medical staff managing his training load between matches.
Mikel Arteta Faces Fresh Centre-Back Headache
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The extent of the issue is not yet clear, and Arsenal will want scan results before assessing how much of pre-season training the 25-year-old might miss. Saliba made 43 appearances and played more than 3,700 minutes for club and country this season, a workload Mikel Arteta has previously flagged as a concern heading into the summer.
The timing is awkward for a club already [managing other fitness scares among its pre-season contingent](https://readarsenal.com/2026/07/12/saka-rice-fitness-scares-arsenal-pre-season/), and it adds fresh weight to Arsenal’s known interest in defensive cover this summer should Saliba need extended time out.
Spain, inspired by Mikel Oyarzabal’s first-half penalty and a second-half strike from Pedro Porro, progress to Sunday’s final unbeaten, ending France’s tournament at the semi-final stage. It caps a dramatic day for Arsenal’s World Cup contingent after [Saliba had been set to face club team-mates Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino](https://readarsenal.com/2026/07/14/saliba-zubimendi-world-cup-semi-final/) in the last four — but for Arteta, the result is secondary to the fitness bulletin on his first-choice centre-back with the Community Shield now just over a month away.