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Mikel Arteta offered a positive update on injured Arsenal defender William Saliba as his side prepare for a Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb.
Saliba missed the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa at the weekend after he was seen holding his hamstring towards the end of the midweek win over Tottenham and Gunners boss Arteta admitted he was very worried about his talismanic centre-back.
Reports in France suggested he would be sidelined for at least a couple of weeks but in Tuesday’s press conference, Arteta gave fans a glimmer of hope.
“He’s evolving really well,” said the Spaniard. “The last few days he was feeling much better already but this game [Dinamo Zagreb] comes a little bit too early for him.”
Arsenal face Zagreb on Wednesday evening looking to stay on track for an all-important top eight spot in the new-look Champions League, with the clash being their penultimate fixture of the group phase.
The Gunners will then make the trip to Wolves at the weekend before their final Champions League group game against Girona next Wednesday and then a huge clash with Manchester City at the Emirates on Sunday 2 February.
And when asked if Saliba would be fit to face City in that blockbuster clash, Arteta simply said: “Yes I hope so.”
There was also good news on defender Riccardo Calafiori and young midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, both of whom have missed the past few matches through injury but are ready to return.
“Very positive news,” said Arteta. “We missed them for a few weeks and they returned today [Tuesday] for training and they’ll be available for the game.”
Arsenal are being heavily linked with almost every striker in Europe it seems during this January transfer window and Arteta also gave his thoughts on the situation.
When asked whether he was enjoying the transfer window, he simply deadpanned: “I love it.”
When specifically asked about links with strikers, Arteta added: “I understand it. People text me, ‘You after him?’ Sometimes I do not even know what they’re talking about?”
