Mikel Arteta must now put faith in ‘really good’ Arsenal defender as William Saliba injury update emerges

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Arsenal are facing another injury crisis already this season, as William Saliba becomes the latest to join a long list of absentees.

The Gunners were haunted by fitness concerns last campaign, with several lengthy issues for some key stars costing the team dearly when it mattered most.

There was some attempt from Arsenal to combat that for this season, as Andrea Berta made eight signings to improve squad depth in case of emergency.

It hasn’t taken that long for Mikel Arteta to see the same problems arise, as Kai Havertz’s injury was joined by Bukayo Saka’s hamstring concern – on top of three other absentees.

Now, William Saliba’s injury looks set to keep him out for around one month, meaning Arteta must pick one star to replace him.

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Arsenal must turn to Cristhian Mosquera as William Saliba replacement after injury

Arsenal’s signings this summer caught the eye, but perhaps one that went under the radar was Cristhian Mosquera.

The defender replaced the outgoing Takehiro Tomiyasu, who terminated his contract with the club in his search for fitness.

While the 21-year-old may be viewed as a depth option and one for the future, his time to make an impression is now.

Arteta must trust he can draft Mosquera in to replace Saliba after his injury, especially after his display against Liverpool.

While the Spaniard struggled at first, he adjusted well and proved exactly what he can do.

Speaking after the game, Arteta said: “Thank God we had Mosquera, which we put in for the first time in the Premier League.

“His debut, not expecting it at Anfield, and I think he was really, really good.”

It makes sense to lean towards Mosquera for the next few weeks, even though there are other options that the Arsenal manager can turn towards.

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Other potential replacements for William Saliba after injury

If Saliba is out injured for roughly a month’s worth of action, there is every chance that he won’t be back until after the October international break.

Some huge games are around the corner, including Premier League ties with Man City and Newcastle, as well as the return of the Champions League.

While Mosquera is one option to replace Saliba, it’s unclear exactly how well he will fare with such a quick flurry of matches.

Depending on his fitness, Ben White is another option, having been comfortable playing at centre-back before.

There’s also Jurrien Timber, who can feature there on the right, before we get into left-footed options such as Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori.

For now, though, it all depends on Arteta putting faith in his young signing to step up to the plate.