William Saliba is back! The French defender was part of the matchday squad that travelled to Prague for this week's Champions League win, not enjoying a late cameo, to the slight disappointment of the 1,044 Gooners who had made the trip .
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta is to to be cautious, albeit everyone in attendance against Hull on Saturday would be delighted to see Saliba return, even just to warm up. With the 25 year old available for selection again, we assess three winners and two loses following the news.
It is now 115 days since Saliba was forced off during the first half of France's World Cup semi-final defeat against Spain in Texas. The centre-back exacerbated a back injury during that tournament, with Arsenal confirming that he would be "out of action for an extended period".
They decided against surgery, prioritising long-term recovery over a quick fix . Well, Saliba is back sooner than expected so, assuming he is good to go already, that is vindication for that decision. For Arteta, it's simply great news to have one of the best defenders in the world at his disposal again.
This is not a sentence that any of us thought we could sincerely say in July: how does Saliba get back into this team? Many were skeptical when 55 million was spent on a now 29 year old Ezri Konsa, but he has not put a foot wrong, actually looking excellent, seamlessly slotting in from day one.
During his time at Aston Villa, Konsa did make around 44 appearances at right-back but, for the first time ever it seems, both Benjamin White and Jurrin Timber are fit at the same time right now. Thus, Konsa might, through no fault of his own, find himself on the bench for certain games albeit , with matches coming thick and fast, he will still see plenty of minutes.
Along similar lines, Gabriel and Konsa have formed a formidable partnership, most clearly on display during last Sunday's win at Anfield. Nevertheless, in years to come, we may look back at Saliba and Gabriel as one of the best centre-back duos the Premier League has ever seen, so the Brazilian will be delighted to have his long-time partner back.
The member of the Arsenal squad we feel most sorry for is forgotten man Cristhian Mosquera. The Spaniard started the first three matches of the campaign, including the Community Shield, only losing his place to Konsa after suffering a hamstring injury at Villa Park.
Well, since then, the 22 year old has been unable to get back in. His first minutes since August came at Fleetwood, before only seeing half an hour in Prague, when many believed he deserved a start . Now though, Saliba's return only serves to push Mosquera further down the pecking order.
A bit more of a left-field pick, but could Bruno Guimares be the biggest beneficiary, as he prepares to play alongside Saliba for the first time? The 28 year old is yet to show his best self in an Arsenal shirt, with the Gunners often looking better when Myles Lewis-Skelly is playing instead.
The Englishman's ability to play intricate passes that penetrate the opposition is something Guimares is yet to offer on a consistent basis. Well, this is also one of Saliba's main strengths. So, with the Frenchman returning at the back, could that free up Bruno to flourish?
This article was originally published on www.paininthearsenal.com as 3 winners and 2 losers as William Saliba returns from his Arsenal injury .
