Mikel Arteta Explains William Saliba Absence vs. Mansfield With Fresh Injury Update

The center back has been nursing his second ankle issue of the season.

William Saliba is on the sidelines. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has assured fans William Saliba could make a swift comeback from his latest ankle injury.

The French defender missed the midweek victory over Brighton & Hove Albion and was also left out of Saturday’s squad to face Mansfield Town in the FA Cup after Arteta predicted he would not be ready to return.

Having already missed time earlier this season with an ankle problem, Arteta confessed he initially shared fans’ concerns about an aggravation of his initial injury, but fortunately, that is not the case.

“It’s the other [ankle],” Arteta revealed. “We thought the same after the game. He wasn’t comfortable to finish the game and after that away he didn’t have a good feeling. So let’s see if he recovers quickly.”

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When Will Saliba Return for Arsenal?

Mikel Arteta hopes to see Saliba return soon. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Arteta clearly left the door to a swift return for Saliba who, in all likelihood, was never going to turn out against League One strugglers Mansfield Town even if he was healthy.

While Arsenal are still taking the FA Cup seriously, Arteta will want his strongest squad available for the team’s next outing, which comes in the form of a Champions League away day to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday.

Will Saliba return for that fixture? At this point, it is hard to say. Arteta enjoys keeping his cards close to his chest when it comes to the fitness of his biggest names and is highly unlikely to confirm any of the specifics of Saliba’s recovery. That being said, the language used by Arteta in his recent update appears to suggest Saliba will not be missing for long.

Arsenal’s Next Five Games After Mansfield

Fixture	Date
Bayer Leverkusen (A)	March 11
Everton (H)	March 14
Bayer Leverkusen (H)	March 17
Man City (N)—Carabao Cup final	March 22
Bournemouth (H)	April 11

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Arsenal’s Options to Replace Saliba

Cristhian Mosquera appears to be first reserve. | Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

It was Cristhian Mosquera that was given the nod for Arsenal alongside Gabriel against Brighton, and the summer signing kept his place in the starting lineup on Saturday against Mansfield.

Gabriel, meanwhile, was afforded a rest as his position went to Riccardo Calafiori, whose biggest impact to this point has been felt on the left side of defense. Piero Hincapié, another summer recruit, started on the bench.

Finding that sort of high-level cover for his biggest names was a priority for Arteta during the summer transfer window, having seen previous seasons collapse in the dying embers because of an inability to cope without stars—a back injury to Saliba is often suggested as a reason for Arsenal’s failure to win the title in 2022–23.

Those concerns appear to be a thing of the past as Arteta continues to flex the squad depth needed not just to win the Premier League title, but to challenge for multiple honors deep into the season. The quadruple charge is on and Arsenal’s ability to rotate their squad for a cup game—even if against significantly inferior opposition—reflects their status among the favorites to win everything.

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