William Saliba Misses Arsenal Squad Photo for Medical Appointment

William Saliba was absent from Arsenal’s official 2026/27 squad photo on Wednesday after attending a medical appointment.

The nature of the appointment has not been confirmed, and it is thought that it is routine and does not indicate a setback.

The France international has been sidelined since the start of the season with a back injury he picked up at the 2026 World Cup. Saliba was forced off early in France’s semi-final defeat to Spain and went on to miss their third-place play-off against England.

Saliba had been managing the back problem before the tournament, and there were initial fears that he would need surgery. However, the club confirmed in July that, following detailed assessments, surgery was not recommended, and he began a managed recovery programme instead.

At the time, Arsenal announced he would be out for an extended period without giving a firm timeline, with reports suggesting he could miss four to five months.

There have been encouraging signs in recent days. Saliba returned to training on grass earlier this week and has been carrying out individual work as part of his rehabilitation, although Mikel Arteta has not given a date for his return to first-team training.

His absence meant that he was unable to feature in Arsenal's squad photo for the upcoming season, despite playing a key role in lifting the club's first Premier League title in 22 years.

Saliba made 50 appearances in all competitions last season as Arsenal won the league title and reached the Champions League final. He is also the only player to have been named in the PFA Team of the Year in each of the last four seasons.

The Frenchman was in attendance as Arsenal beat Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday night, watching Gabriel Magalhães and Ezri Konsa extend the Gunners’ run without conceding from open play in the competition to eight games, dating back to their trip to Bayer Leverkusen in last season’s round of 16.

Arteta was dealt another defensive injury blow this week, as it was confirmed Piero Hincapié would be absent for 'weeks' after sustaining an ankle injury in the post-match warm-down after beating Leeds United on Saturday.

However, Jurriën Timber, Cristhian Mosquera and Konsa have all returned to full fitness after suffering from issues in the last month, with the Dutch defender collecting the Man of the Match award against Lille.

Arsenal travel to Nottingham Forest this weekend, before returning to Champions League action with a trip to Bayern Munich, who welcome Arteta's side without star player Michael Olise.