William Saliba Faces Brutal Setback with Back Surgery

William Saliba faces a brutal setback. The Arsenal defender is set to undergo back surgery, a procedure that will rule him out for months and cast a shadow over the start of 2027 for both club and country.

The warning signs were there. In the semi-final against Spain, Saliba had to come off with back problems, an exit that at the time looked precautionary but now feels like the turning point. According to reports from both L'Équipe and The Athletic, the issue is serious enough to require an operation.

French journalist Julien Laurens has detailed just how severe the situation became. During the injury, Saliba is reported to have said that his back was “completely done for” and that he had already been playing through the pain with the help of strong painkillers. This was not a niggle. It was a storm he had been trying to play through.

The cost is heavy. The surgery is expected to keep him out for four to five months. On that timeline, Arsenal will almost certainly be without one of their key pillars at the back until 2027.

For a defender who has become central to Mikel Arteta’s plans and a cornerstone for France, it is a harsh pause in a career that had gathered serious momentum. The next time Saliba walks out in an Arsenal shirt, the season – and perhaps the balance of their ambitions – could look very different.