Why William Saliba was missing from Arsenal's 2026/27 squad photo

Arsenal's newly released 2026/27 squad photo sparked questions after William Saliba was nowhere to be seen in it, with the club quickly moving to explain his absence.

talkSPORT reports that Saliba "was a notable absentee" when the Gunners shared the official squad picture on social media, with Mikel Arteta pictured posing behind the Premier League trophy as the rest of the squad gathered (talkSPORT).

The Evening Standard describes it as "a surprise snub", noting that the French centre-back "has yet to appear for the Premier League champions this season as he recovers" from injury (Evening Standard).

Football.London confirms it was indeed "a surprise absentee" moment, but says Arsenal moved to clear things up, with "the club explaining exactly why he was missing" in a statement released on Wednesday (Football.London).

All three outlets agree on the key facts: Saliba's absence from the photo caused a stir among fans, and it is tied to the defender's recovery from injury rather than anything more concerning. talkSPORT and the Evening Standard both frame it around his continued absence from the team this season (talkSPORT) (Evening Standard), while Football.London emphasises that the club were quick to put out an official explanation to address the speculation (Football.London).

With Saliba still working his way back to full fitness, his absence from Arsenal's seasonal squad photo appears to be a straightforward case of missing the photocall rather than any deeper issue, according to the reporting across all three sources.

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.