Mikel Arteta has opened the door for William Saliba to return against Slavia Praha vs Arsenal, with the defender now in Arsenal's travel group for Wednesday's Champions League game. Arteta said Saliba feels ready after playing 45 minutes behind closed doors last week, and that he is being treated as available rather than wrapped in a minutes cap.
Arteta's message on Saliba
Saliba has not played since France's World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain, but Arteta's tone was far more firm than tentative. He said: "He's in a really good place."
That was backed up by the detail that Saliba has already done a full half-hour plus of work in match conditions, with Arteta adding: "Now you're in or not. Now he's in."
The other thing worth keeping in view is the workload he had before the lay-off. Saliba made 6 appearances at the 2026 World Cup and played 505 minutes, so Arsenal are not bringing back someone who has been idle for months.
Arsenal's defensive options
Arteta also hinted at how the back line could be managed if Saliba is used in Prague. He said Arsenal have not had that luxury so far, then pointed to the value of having centre-backs who can play on either side and make rotation easier.
Whether Ezri Konsa is the only defender displaced by Saliba's return is the part that remains open. The stronger reading is that Saliba gives Arsenal more than one option, because Arteta framed the issue as squad management rather than one straight swap.
Arsenal go into the trip after four straight Premier League clean sheets and a 1-0 win at Liverpool, and they are top of the Premier League with 24 points from 9 matches. Slavia Praha vs Arsenal is on Wednesday, and Arteta has left the door open for Saliba to be part of it.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
