Arsenal centre-back William Saliba opts to avoid back surgery | OneFootball

Arsenal centre-back William Saliba (25) won’t be operated on to cure his chronic back pain issues, according to a report on Wednesday from L’Equipe. The France international’s 2026 World Cup was cut short during Les Bleus‘ semi-final 2-0 loss to eventual tournament winners Spain. Saliba, who was managing severe back pain, said that the could no longer endure it.

L’Equipe reported last week that surgery was no longer the preferred option. Now the outlet understands that Saliba won’t indeed undergo surgery. After a round of talks with Arsenal executives, the 2025-2026 Premier League champion elected not to proceed with an operation.

Still, Saliba will be sidelined for an extended period of time for him to heal and rest. L’Equipe can’t quite put on a timeline on his return to action with Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, given it will be down to how he feels, but Saliba is expected to be sidelined for months.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval