William Saliba returned to full training on Tuesday ahead of Arsenal's Slavia Praha vs Arsenal trip, and Mikel Arteta's tone suggested the defender is moving the right way after a back injury. Arteta said next week he had another MRI with Saliba, while every sign so far had been "very, very positive". Saliba has not featured this season.
Saliba's return and Arteta's update
The shape of the update is simple enough. Saliba is back in the group, but Arsenal are still waiting to see how the next scan looks. That is the part of the story that matters most for a defender who has already made 6 appearances and played 505 minutes this season.
Arteta's line, "It will be good to have him," fits the feeling around the squad. Arsenal do not need to rush the centre-back, but they do need him available soon, especially with a Champions League trip on the calendar and the team already sitting 7th in the league phase with 7 points from 3 matches.
The rest of Arsenal's team news
Bukayo Saka remains absent with a quadriceps issue, so Arsenal are not suddenly back at full strength. Max Dowman is also serving a three-match domestic suspension, although that does not affect his Champions League availability.
The wider selection picture is still manageable for Arteta, but Saliba's return changes the tone of the build-up. Arsenal go into Prague with one clear defensive boost, and the next checkpoint is the MRI next week rather than the match itself.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
