Saliba was forced off four minutes into Arsenal’s 1-0 away loss to Liverpool with a twisted ankle that he sustained during the warm-up.

Arsenal fans had a couple of surprises when the team news for Saturday’s match against Nottingham Forest was announced, with Declan Rice on the bench and William Saliba not even in the squad.

Cristhian Mosquera replaced Saliba against Liverpool and is a contender to do so again for the remainder of the Frenchman’s absence, but Deadline Day signing Piero Hincapié may have moved towards the top of the pecking order after his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.

Arsenal have two great replacements for Saliba in Christhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie, and so should not be worried about his absence due to injury.

Arsenal have offered William Saliba a new five-year contract amid transfer interest from Spanish club Real Madrid, according to reports. Real Madrid have admired Saliba for a long time and were keeping tabs on him when he was still at Saint-Etienne before his Arsenal breakthrough.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘We’ll Have a Decision’: William Saliba Hands Arsenal Injury Boost. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed William Saliba is back in training ahead of their clash with Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal have offered France defender William Saliba a five-year contract extension as talks continue with the 24-year-old, whose current deal runs out in 2027. Real Madrid are monitoring the centre-back's situation. (FootMercato - in French)