According to a report in L’Equipe, Arsenal are bracing themselves for a lengthy absence for William Saliba if the defender undergoes surgery for an ongoing back problem.
The 25 year old came off during France’s 2-0 World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain, and lip-readers insisted he said ‘My back is gone’ as he received treatment.
Via GFFN, the centre-half told teammate Dayot Upamecano he could not bear the pain anymore, and he was replaced by Crystal Palace defender Maxcence LaCroix.
Saliba has been nursing the problem for some time, with both Arsenal and France keeping him going with painkillers and a very light training regime. In fact, at this tournament it was reported he wasn’t training at all, and only playing games.
Sadly, his back said ‘enough’, and it now remains to be seen what will happen if and when he does have treatment to fix the problem.
The Gunners have been linked with Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, who can play both right back and centre-half, and if Saliba’s absence will see him miss half a season, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other names crop as potential transfer targets.
Fingers crossed it’s not as bad as it sounds, but it does look as if we’ll have to start next season without the Frenchman, and given his quality, that’s a real issue for Mikel Arteta heading into the new campaign.