Injury to THIS star Arsenal player could derail Arteta's title charge once again

Fresh off the high of beating treble winners Manchester City, Arsenal have been seemingly dealt a blow as William Saliba pulled out of the France squad for international duty.

The France national team confirmed the defender's absence, stating he was nursing a toe injury and that he will be replaced by Nice's Jean-Clair Todibo.

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"William Saliba is not able to participate in the gathering of the French team. The Arsenal defender suffers from pain in his right big toe. He will remain available to his club to treat this chronic injury," read the statement.

"After speaking with Dr Franck Le Gall, the French team doctor, Didier Deschamps noted William Saliba’s withdrawal and decided to replace him with Jean-Clair Todibo.

"The latter is expected at Clairefontaine on Monday at noon, like all the selected players."

Saliba was instrumental in his side's 1-0 win against City on Sunday (October 8) in front of a boisterous Emirates crowd. The tall centre-back managed to keep City's goal-scoring machine Erling Haaland quiet and to the extent that the Norweigian did not have a shot on target throughout the game.

The victory propelled Arsenal to the top of the points table alongside London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The club will now return to action after the international break and face a resurgent Chelsea. With over a week to go for the encounter, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta would hope that his premier defender gets back to full fitness.

Saliba - Arsenal's mainstay

Ever since the last season, Saliba has been pivotal to Arsenal's chances in the league. In the 27 league games that Saliba started during the title charge, he helped Arsenal keep a clean sheet in 11 of them. However, post his injury, the London-based team could only keep two clean sheets in nine games as Manchester City came from behind to secure a third consecutive title.

Last week, Saliba reflected on the injury that forced him to sit out the business end of the last season, which eventually cost his team the title.

“Of course, it was really painful because I watched my team play every game, the most important of the season, and I was not able to play. Of course, it hurt me. Of course, I could have helped my team to maybe win the Premier League but we never know," said Saliba.

"It was a good experience because we were first for all the season and at the end we finished second. Every game is so important, we try to win every game to win the league. Injuries are part of football and hopefully I won’t be injured.”

While Saliba has become a mainstay in the Arsenal squad, he is yet to become a first pick for Deschamps. The likes of Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate are seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order.

(With inputs from agencies)

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