Saliba boost for Arsenal ahead of Slavia Prague trip

Arsenal have been handed a timely lift ahead of their Champions League trip to Slavia Prague, with William Saliba back involved in training.

The Evening Standard reports that Saliba took part in Arsenal's final training session before the game, describing it as a "huge boost" for Mikel Arteta given the defender has not played a single minute recently (Evening Standard). Football.London goes further, suggesting Saliba "could make his long-awaited Arsenal return this week" after returning to full training with the squad on Tuesday ahead of the trip to the Czech Republic (Football.London).

Football.London also notes that while Saliba's return is welcome news, Arteta is missing one player ahead of the Prague trip, though the specifics of who that is aren't detailed (Football.London). Arsenal's own club website doesn't go into the same detail on Saliba's fitness, instead sharing training snaps from the squad's preparations ahead of the Champions League trip to Prague, which still points to the same build-up story and shows the squad out on the grass together (Arsenal.com).

Taken together, all three outlets paint a positive picture for Arsenal fans: after a spell without their key centre-back, Saliba being back in full training is exactly the kind of news supporters want to see before a tricky away trip in Europe. Whether he's risked from the start or eased back in remains to be seen, but his presence alone in training sessions this week will be seen as significant given how important he is to Arteta's defensive setup.

With the Slavia Prague match just around the corner, all eyes will now be on the matchday squad announcement to see whether Saliba is deemed ready to feature, even if only from the bench, as Arsenal look to continue their strong start in this season's Champions League.

Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.