Arsenal have future “best CB in the world” to replace Saliba

The World Cup is over for England (barring that pesky third-place play-off), and Arsenal‘s exhausted superstars have nearly reached the end of the marathon.

It has been a slog of a year for the Gunners, with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka among those to have been drained by so many minutes for club and country. Of course, triumph in the Premier League has sweetened the journey, but there’s no question that a holiday over the coming weeks could do the players a world of good ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

Arsenal will go again, determined to retain their gold belt while looking to go one better out in Europe and lift the Champions League. They came so close to immortality, slipping on penalties against Paris Saint-Germain in the final.

Mikel Arteta‘s squad have the capacity to create something special next year, but they have been rocked by a back injury to William Saliba, who will miss months of action.

They have already set their sights on Aston Villa centre-half Ezri Konsa, though the Villans don’t want to sell. Still Arsenal are ready to ramp up their long-standing interest. After all, they need to find some way to replace the inimitable Saliba.

How Saliba won Arsenal the Premier League

Saliba, 25, probably doesn’t steal the headlines as often as his Brazilian partner Gabriel Magalhaes, but therein lies the ultimate litmus test at the Emirates: Saliba is Arsenal’s star centre-half.

Supremely calm and organised in possession, Saliba reads the game like a scholar, the leading man in an iron-clad backline that proved the bedrock of Arteta’s title-winning team.

Conceding an xGA (expected goals against) of only 0.74 per game on average, there’s no question that Saliba and co played a leading role throughout the long show, with that figure the fourth-best ever recorded by Opta in the Premier League. David Raya has earned acclaim for his clean sheets between the sticks, but the stress of his job is eased considerably by such reliable defenders.

His record in the Premier League since arriving four years ago, 90 wins from 131 outings in the division, is nothing short of extraordinary; he has played an instrumental part in establishing the Gunners as the cream of the crop.

Saliba starred for France at the World Cup, but following his nation’s semi-final defeat to Spain, he has taken the decision to get surgery on a long-running back injury. He has played through pain, but hopes for an operation that will provide a long-term fix.

Arsenal will make their own judgement before authorising a layoff that will take months to recover from. They will be acutely aware of the on-field connotations that would come with Saliba’s extended absence.

All this is to say that Saliba is the real deal, with French legend Marcel Desailly saying he is “in the conversation for the best centre-back in the world“. That alone should tell you how deeply Arsenal and Arteta require his skill, fully fit.

But adaptability is Arteta’s forte. He knows how to navigate the rocky landscape of a cruel injury blow, and has already started work on finding a solution in the transfer market, hence the interest in Konsa.

However, he does have internal options to choose from too.

Arsenal can unleash a dream Saliba replacement

Saliba is a phenomenon, but Arsenal must show that they can adapt without their French centre-half in the team. Gabriel will now take up a role of even greater import, but the Londoners may already have a shrewd internal solution.

Exactly one year and one week ago, Arsenal signed Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia for £13m. A smart fee for a talented young defender, but he has quickly outgrown that price tag, excelling for the champions.

As one Arsenal insider put it, “We have a monster on our hands.” Mosquera, in an age of exorbitant transfer sums, has arrived in north London for a small sum and is on his way to becoming a superstar.

After all, analyst Spencer Mossman remarked during the 23-year-old’s Valencia days that he was on his way to becoming “the best centre-back in the world“, and though he only started nine times in the Premier League for Arsenal, his ball-playing and defensively-sound displays have told much of his potential; he will be expected to take forward strides this year.

In fact, now that Saliba is out for the count, Mosquera could take up responsibility as Gabriel’s main partner for the first half of the coming campaign.

Sure, he has the physical and technical attributes to become a leading centre-back in Europe, but he also has an unteachable tenacity in his belly that has already raised him up in Arteta’s thinking, the Spanish manager blown away by his protege earlier in the season, following a group stage Champions League win over Bayern Munich.

Mosquera is strong in the challenge, confident and crisp on the ball, versatile and willing when putting himself forward for his manager’s positioning. He has all the qualities to replace Saliba next season, and it’s something that the club need to consider as they figure out how to combat this crushing injury and still maintain a title charge once again.

Back in April, Everton emerged as contenders to sign the Spaniard, but it hardly seems likely that that deal would be sanctioned now, even if Arsenal push ahead with their bid to sign Konsa. The 28-year-old is undeniably among the upper standard of Premier League defender, but it would be a significant outlay which would possibly disrupt Mosquera’s flow.

Perhaps Saliba’s injury will provide one small slice of solace: it could see any potential exit for Mosquera evaporated, thus allowing him to develop into a world-class superstar at the Emirates.