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ARSENAL RECEIVE MAJOR BOOST AS WILLIAM SALIBA RETURNS TO FULL TRAINING
Arsenal have been handed a welcome boost ahead of their upcoming fixtures, with defender William Saliba returning to full first-team training after spending close to four months recovering from a back injury.
The French centre-back has been unavailable since picking up the injury during France’s World Cup semi-final meeting with Spain in July 2026. His absence has left Mikel Arteta with the task of reshuffling his defensive options during the early stages of the campaign.
However, there is now renewed optimism at the Emirates following Saliba’s return to group training on Tuesday, November 3. The 25-year-old is said to have made encouraging progress during his rehabilitation, reaching the necessary recovery milestones to rejoin his teammates.
Despite the positive development, Arsenal are expected to take a cautious approach with his comeback, ensuring he does not rush back into competitive action before he is fully ready.
His return to training also comes just ahead of Arsenal’s Champions League fixture against Slavia Prague on Wednesday. While it remains unclear whether he will feature in the encounter, his progress suggests that a return to the matchday squad may not be too far away.
In his absence, summer signing Ezri Konsa has stepped up alongside Gabriel Magalhães, delivering impressive performances at the heart of Arsenal’s defence.
Konsa’s contribution has helped maintain stability at the back, but Saliba’s eventual return to full fitness could give Arteta an interesting selection headache as he looks to settle on his preferred defensive partnership.