Mikel Arteta told he made 'big mistake' with Arsenal star

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Mikel Arteta has been told he made a ‘big mistake’ with injured Arsenal defender William Saliba.

Saliba has been a key member of Arteta’s squad over the past three seasons, making over 100 appearances for the Gunners.

The 23-year-old took a while to break into the first-team following a £27m move from Saint-Etienne but is now viewed as one of the best defenders in the world.

Saliba’s progress has been halted by an injury he sustained during Arsenal’s north London derby victory over Tottenham last week.

The setback ruled Saliba out of Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa in the Premier League and the Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday night.

Saliba could be set to miss more matches in the coming weeks and ex-Arsenal defender William Gallas believes Arteta must shoulder some of the blame.

France star Saliba played five games in 15 days at the start of 2025 and Gallas believes it was a ‘mistake’ for Arteta to select him in both of Arsenal’s recent cup defeats.

‘It's been the same old story at Arsenal for almost 20 years, they had a real opportunity to close the gap on the top of the table again but couldn't,’ Gallas told Spin Genie.

‘You can see why the fans are disappointed. They have had two or three chances to get closer to Liverpool and failed, just when fans start to feel confident something like that happens when they have a 2-0 lead at home and can't go on to win the game.

‘If you really want to win the Premier League, you cannot afford to draw that game. The thing I'm seeing now is that there is always an excuse, this time it was about William Saliba being injured.

‘I know why he was injured, because he is playing too many matches, it's a big mistake by Mikel Arteta. Why did Saliba play in both the FA Cup and the League Cup? He needs rest. He has played in almost every game.’

Turning his attentions to Arteta’s spell in charge of Arsenal, Gallas added: ‘It was tough for Mikel Arteta at the start, but five years is enough time for a manager to really settle – but they are going to finish second for three years in a row.

‘Maybe Liverpool will have an injury crisis which would let Arsenal back in, but it looks like Mikel Arteta is missing something when it comes to being a champion.

‘There is a difference between a good coach and a coach that wins titles.’

Earlier this week, Arteta admitted Saliba’s injury has forced him to consider a new role for Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.

‘It has been in my head,’ said Arteta in his pre-match press conference. ‘The reality is that he had to play, because of certain circumstances as a No6, a No8, he played one game as a No10.

‘To put him in a different position is not ideal. He is coping with it really well, but we know that he has the ability to do that, offering something different to the other central defenders.

‘The reality is we don't have right-footers in that position.’

Victory for Arsenal against Zagreb would all but seal their progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League with a game to spare.

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