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The report from L'Equipe states that Saliba is set to be out of action for the next two weeks after missing the Gunners' home game against Aston Villa over the weekend, with Jurrien Timber taking his place at centre-back - and with a medical checkup set for Sunday, it means that Saliba will reportedly miss their next three games.
Two of those aren't overly vital, coming against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona in the Champions League, but missing a crunch away game at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League could be crucial. And, facing a race against fitness to be ready for City's visit to the Emirates on February 2, Mikel Arteta will be sweating over his availability with the Gunners aiming to clamber back into the title race and, at the very least, secure a top-four finish.
Saliba has been a key part of Arteta's side that has shot to title contender status in recent seasons, acting as the last line of defence thanks to his superb recovery pace, whilst Gabriel Magalhaes has been the brawn, scoring headers at ease throughout the season.
One win for the Gunners in their Champions League fixtures would likely see them into the knockout rounds after a superb league phase campaign, and so Saliba may not be a big miss for the Girona tie if they do beat Zagreb. However, Wolves can't be counted as an easy tie given their need for results in the Premier League, and the gravitas of the City game speaks for itself.
Whilst Timber was decent against Villa, he's not a natural centre-back and with Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Riccardo Calafiori all out injured for the long-term, Saliba needs to be introduced as soon as possible if the club are to stop their poor run of results. Letting a 2-0 lead slip at home to Villa could have been avoided had Saliba been available against Unai Emery's men.
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