William Saliba is out of action and has been a big miss for Arsenal.
The Frenchman is suffering from a back problem that has so far seen him miss the Gunners’ last four league outings.
In said games, Arsenal have failed to keep a single clean sheet and their title race is on the verge of collapse.
The north Londoners went 2-0 vs Liverpool at Anfield but in the end barely escaped with a point vs Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Then, on Sunday, Arsenal also took an early lead vs West Ham. No comeback was expected this time around but Arsenal once again fell away, allowing West Ham to secure a 2-2 draw.
This has seen Arsenal’s lead atop of the Premier League slip to just one point an with Manchester City on the horizon next week, the Gunners need Saliba back ASAP.
Shedding some light on the Saliba situation on April 14, Mikel Arteta said: “William is still not available. He’s progressing well and we are hopeful we’ll have him available in the next few weeks, but we’ll have to see.
“He’s not far from starting to do that [return to training]. Obviously we need to be cautious because of the injury, but he’s evolving well.”
And now, the Evening Standard have issued a concerning update on Monday, in which they state Saliba is not expected back from the Manchester City clash:
“Arsenal are hoping to see Saliba back in training soon after suffering a back injury against Sporting CP a month ago. The trip to Manchester City looks like it will come too soon for the centre-back with the final games of the season his current target.”
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