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Arsenal have received a more concrete prognosis on William Saliba's injury following a period of consultation.
Saliba went down clutching his back early on during France's World Cup semi-final against Spain last week. The centre-back has been carrying the issue for several months, and the clash with La Roja proved to be the breaking point.
Initial speculation indicated that Saliba could be out until the turn of the year, and the Gunners have subsequently started to explore various defensive options on the market.
Ezri Konsa has been heavily linked with a switch to the Emirates, while John Stones and Maxence Lacroix have also been mooted as targets for Andrea Berta. If Arsenal choose the Lacroix route, they will face even more competition from Chelsea.
However, a positive update has now emerged on this front, which may prompt the Italian sporting director to reconsider his priorities in the window.
William Saliba does not need surgery on his back
The agonising wait for a verdict on Saliba's surgery has come to an end. According to French outlet L'Equipe, Saliba will not undergo surgery after consulting a back specialist.
That said, the publication report that Saliba will now spend a significant spell on the sidelines, with some treatment on the issue expected.
He'll need a length period to rest, recover and recuperate before he can pull an Arsenal shirt on once again. While the exact timeline for his return is yet to be determined, it's understood that it's likely dependent on how the player feels day-to-day.
L'Equipe do add that Saliba's absence will at the very least span multiple months.
While the lack of surgery is positive news for Arsenal, as that would've significantly slowed his road to recovery down, it doesn't mean he's out of the woods yet. He's likely to miss a significant, but maybe not substantial, chunk of the 2026/27 season.
Arsenal likely still need to dip into the market for a new central defender, although the need may not now be deemed quite as pressing.
Where an established, prime-age option like Konsa was previously appealing and probably necessary, now a more short-term and less expensive option like Stones makes more sense.
Regardless, Berta still has work to do in the transfer market on this front, although he can now allocate more resources to other areas of the pitch, rather than going big on yet another defender.
Today's best reads
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This article was originally published on paininthearsenal.com as Arsenal receive William Saliba surgery verdict following World Cup injury.
