- Saliba picks up injury
- Arsenal fall short to Man City
- Saliba makes Arsenal 'champions' claim
WHAT HAPPENED? The 22-year-old defender enjoyed a breakout season in North London, starting 27 games in the Premier League as they topped the table for 248 days throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
However, the Frenchman picked up a back injury in March and would go on to be sidelined for the remainder of the season, leading to Mikel Arteta's side ultimately falling short in their pursuit of the league title to Pep Guardiola's treble winners, Manchester City.
WHAT THEY SAID: “Last year, I had a good season. Unfortunately, I got injured during the year and at the final sprint," Saliba told Téléfoot.
“It’s a new season with new ambitions and I hope that we can do even better." Saliba would go on to add: "Yeah, it’s clear with me (fully fit), Arsenal could have been champions, but injuries are a part of football."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Saliba has once again been a key figure in the Arsenal squad this season, starting all six of their opening league fixtures. However, could be set to miss out on Saturday's clash against Bournemouth, after picking up another knock which forced him to miss the Gunners midweek cup clash against Brentford.
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR SALIBA? The fixtures are coming thick and fast for Arsenal in the coming weeks and Saliba's fitness will be key. Following the clash against Bournemouth, Arteta's men will travel to the Stade Bollaert-Delelis to face RC Lens in the Champions League on Tuesday (8pm kick-off UK time) before facing a quick turnaround to host Man City next Sunday (4:30 pm kick-off UK time).