William Saliba celebrates after helping Arsenal beat Tottenham
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If you’d told Arsenal fans at the start of the season they would be without William Saliba for the first three months, they wouldn’t have expected to be sitting three points clear at the top after nine games.
Now, they have just won at Anfield for the first time in 14 years, all without their best defender. It is a testament to just how good a replacement Ezri Konsa has been. But now, Saliba could be back sooner than anyone expected.
The Frenchman hasn’t played a minute this season after suffering a back injury following the World Cup, and he was initially targeting a return in late November. But according to Hand of Arsenal, he’s ahead of schedule.
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William Saliba could return against Slavia Prague or Hull
On Monday, Hand of Arsenal revealed that William Saliba had returned to first-team training, adding that he had “absolutely smashed his recovery milestones”.
They have since followed up on that, reporting that he’s in contention for Wednesday’s Champions League trip to Slavia Prague and the home game against Hull. It all depends on how he comes through the next few training sessions, and Arsenal won’t rush him after such a long time out.
That’s a huge boost. Saliba played through pain for much of last season to help Arsenal win the title, and over the last few years he and Gabriel have established themselves as the best centre-back partnership in the world. But it won’t be as simple as walking straight back into the side.
Ezri Konsa could push William Saliba to new heights
Konsa has been outstanding in Saliba’s absence. At Anfield, he won eight of his nine duels and four of his five tackles, and he had the best pass completion of any Arsenal player as Liverpool failed to register a single shot on target. Mikel Arteta already calls him “one of the leaders of the team”.
Saliba is a better player for that kind of competition, and Konsa’s form could unlock a level we’ve never seen from him before.
What we’d love to see is a more aggressive Saliba in possession. He’s always had the tools to step out with the ball, break lines and drive Arsenal up the pitch, but he usually prefers to play it safe. With Konsa on his tail, that could be the natural next step in his development.
It also gives Arteta a nice problem to have. He could ease Saliba back in from the bench, rotate his centre-backs through a busy run of fixtures, or even move Konsa to right-back, where he has played for Aston Villa and England.
The first sign of what he’s thinking could come in Prague on Wednesday.