William Saliba was forced off after just 30 minutes of France's World Cup semi-final defeat by Spain, his recurring back problem finally giving way. Now Arsenal face a decision that could shape their season: surgery or conservative treatment.
The 25-year-old centre-back has been gritting his teeth for months. “I’ve had some minor niggles for several months,” he said earlier in the tournament. “I’ve been gritting my teeth because there was the Champions League and the Premier League. The World Cup comes round only once every four years, so you’ve got to grit your teeth.” He missed France’s final group game against Norway before returning for the knockout stage.
“Arsenal consider John Stones as Saliba faces potential long-term lay-off; Morgan Rogers undergoes Chelsea medical.”
Arsenal will assess the injury when Saliba reports back after World Cup duty. Surgery is among the options, but the Gunners know an operation would probably mean a long-term lay-off. The defender made 50 appearances in all competitions last season, helping Arsenal end a 22-year wait to win the Premier League and reach the Champions League final.
With that in mind, the club are weighing up a move for John Stones on a free transfer – if Saliba’s injury turns out to be long term, according to the Sun. The 32-year-old England defender is one of several options being considered. Arsenal also have Lazio target Aaron Wan-Bissaka on their list, and are monitoring Borussia Dortmund left-back Daniel Svensson, valued at around €50m (£42m), though Liverpool have made the Swede a concrete target.
Across London, Chelsea are closing their own blockbuster deal. Morgan Rogers was spotted arriving for a medical on Monday, with the England star set to seal a £117m switch from Aston Villa. The move comes after Chelsea held formal talks with Crystal Palace over Maxence Lacroix, valued at around £55m, while the Blues have knocked back Napoli’s loan enquiry for Benoit Badiashile, insisting on a permanent transfer only.
Manchester United, meanwhile, confirmed the £8m signing of Tynan Thompson from Tottenham and face losing Crysencio Summerville to Roma, who are preparing a second offer after having a bid rejected by West Ham. United are also looking at Manu Kone, but Liverpool are prepared to join that race for the Roma midfielder.
Aston Villa, having lost Rogers, have held talks with Chelsea over signing both Nicolas Jackson and Alejandro Garnacho. They are also a potential destination for AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, who prefers a move to the Premier League.
Elsewhere, Juventus have made Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez their number one goalkeeping target, while also keeping an eye on David de Gea. Everton could rival Inter Milan for Tottenham’s Djed Spence.
Arsenal’s decision on Saliba will not wait. France face England in the third-place play-off on Saturday, and then the real work begins. Surgery could sideline the defender for months – a blow that would force Mikel Arteta to reshape his defence in a market already moving fast.