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William Saliba is expected to return to full fitness within the next month and Arsenal are reportedly set to drastically change their plan for the January transfer window as a result.
The France international has been sidelined since suffering a serious back injury during his country’s defeat to Spain in the World Cup semi-final and he is yet to feature for Mikel Arteta’s side so far this season.
However, the 25-year-old is nearing a return to competitive action, with his rehabilitation understood to have gone quicker than originally thought.
Arsenal were ready to explore a possible defensive signing in January, if Saliba’s recovery took longer than expected, but they are now unlikely to bolster their options at the back due to the Frenchman’s imminent return to full fitness.
That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, who claim that Saliba is aiming to make his comeback in order to feature during Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich on 21 October.
However, the Arsenal hierarchy are reluctant to rush him back to action and they could instead look to ease him back to match fitness with the aim of playing against Liverpool in November.
Regardless, Saliba is expected to be up to speed by the time the winter transfer window opens and Arsenal will therefore retain faith in their current crop of central defenders, having signed Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa over the summer.
Who will Arsenal sign in 2027?
While Arsenal are now unlikely to dip into the transfer market for a new centre-back in January, they still have several defenders on their radar, including Jacobo Ramon (Como), Jon Martin (Real Sociedad), Wesley (AS Roma) and Vanderson (AS Monaco), as per TEAMtalk.
However, the Gunners are expected to prioritise the signing of a new attacker next year after failing to sign Vinicius Junior, Morgan Rogers or Julian Alvarez over the summer.
Arteta’s side did finalise the capture of Club Brugge winger Christos Tzolis ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, but they sold Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, and they now have one fewer forward than last season as a result.
Bournemouth star Eli Junior Kroupi is believed to be a top target for Arsenal in 2027, while the reigning Premier League champions are also keeping close tabs on the development of Brentford attacker Kevin Schade, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool in recent weeks.
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