Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Simon Collings

Arsenal handed huge William Saliba injury blow ahead of Chelsea clash

Arsenal have been dealt a blow after William Saliba was left out of the squad to face Chelsea on Sunday.

Saliba was absent after picking up a knock in training ahead of the game at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners have been hit by injuries at centre-back recently, with Gabriel also on the sidelines due to a thigh issue.

In Gabriel and Saliba’s absence, Mikel Arteta opted to pair Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie in the heart of Arsenal’s defence.

The pair joined the Gunners during the summer transfer window and have made impressive starts to their time in north London.

There was some good news for Arsenal before kick-off at Chelsea, with Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres back in the squad.

Jesus has been out of action since January after injuring his knee and undergoing surgery.

He played in a friendly at Arsenal’s training ground on Thursday, which Mikel Arteta described as “very positive”.

Gyokeres has been on the sidelines since the start of this month after straining his hamstring during a win at Burnley.

The pair were both named on the bench at Chelsea and Mikel Merino was picked to lead the line once again.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.