Mikel Arteta provides update after Arsenal suffer William Saliba injury blow

Saliba rolled his ankle against Chelsea and was absent from Arsenal’s matchday squad on the south coast SportFootballMikel Arteta provides update after Arsenal suffer William Saliba injury blowSaliba rolled his ankle against Chelsea and was absent from Arsenal’s matchday squad on the south coastWill Castle Wednesday 04 March 2026 20:10 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverWilliam Saliba was absent from the squad to face Brighton (Getty)Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreArsenal have suffered their latest defensive injury blow after Mikel Arteta confirmed William Saliba’s absence from their squad at Brighton was due to a fresh ankle problem.Saliba was a notable omission from a starting line-up that included main injury concern Declan Rice, who had picked up a knock against Chelsea last time out.The French defender was also not present on the Gunners bench, with Arteta telling Sky Sports ahead of kick-off: “He turned his ankle against Chelsea. He managed to finish the game somehow, but he was too sore to play today.”Cristhian Mosquera filled in for Saliba at centre-back alongside Gabriel, entrusted by Arteta in his role as defensive deputy.“He’s been great,” Arteta added. “Obviously Wilo (Saliba) is in the partnership that we normally play, but Cristhian’s showed that we can fully trust him.”Premier League leaders Arsenal have been plagued by injuries this season, with both Saliba and Gabriel spending significant spells on the sidelines, along with the likes of Riccardo Calafiori and Ben White.So far, however, these defensive woes have not derailed their title charge, going to Brighton five points clear of closest challengers Manchester City, who have a game in hand.Arteta insisted he was not underestimating the challenge of the Seagulls, saying: “Brighton are a team that really stretches you. They are so comfortable on the ball. “They do their processes in the first phase so well, they are so comfortable and they have very good players as well. So we know that for every team, when you play Brighton, it's going to be a really tough night.”More aboutWilliam SalibaMikel ArtetaBrightonPremier LeagueJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesCommentsMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next