Arsenal Star Could Be Sidelined For FIFTEEN League Games As Extent Of Injury Is Revealed

Arsenal centre-back William Saliba is likely to need surgery on a back injury that could keep him out of action for up to five months, according to reports in the French media.

The Team claim that the centre-back is unlikely to feature in the first half of the season, having been taken off in the first half of France’s 2-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup semi-final earlier this week.

Saliba has been carrying the problem since the back end of the 2025/26 campaign, but he has been managing the pain up until now.

However, things clearly got too much for him against Spain as he collapsed to the floor with just 30 minutes on the clock.

Saliba could miss up to 15 Premier League games

If we take The Team‘s estimated return date at face value, we are looking at a comeback in mid-December. Of course, there is always a chance that he could be available before then, but in the worst-case scenario, it seems he may not be in contention until just before Christmas.

Between the Gunners’ opening fixture against Coventry City on August 21st and the match at home versus Bournemouth on December 12th, Mikel Arteta’s team will play 15 Premier League games.

They include home matches against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, as well as trips to Liverpool and archrivals Tottenham.

He will be out for key Arsenal games in other competitions

It goes without saying that Saliba won’t be involved in the curtain raiser – the Community Shield match against Manchester City – next month.

In addition, the French international is set to be ruled out for the opening two rounds of the Carabao Cup and up to five Champions League group fixtures.

That means he could potentially be unavailable for up to 22 matches in total if he doesn’t make an earlier-than-expected return to full fitness.