Arsenal centre-back William Saliba has gone off injured in the first half of tonight’s World Cup semi-final clash between France and Spain.

The Frenchman was unable to continue as he seemed to have a sudden problem with his back, and he’s been replaced by Maxence Lacroix.

It is not yet clear how serious this injury for Saliba will prove to be, but it’s perhaps not a great sign that he was taken off immediately despite suffering this problem when there wasn’t anyone around him.

Watch below for the moment Saliba simply had to stop playing as he fell to the ground…

i feel so bad for saliba pic.twitter.com/E9n3oQCRDm

— ola ! (@bIuezoya) July 14, 2026

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Saliba was a star performer for Arsenal as they won the Premier League title in 2025/26, and he’s been key for France at this World Cup as well.

It remains to be seen if this will now be his final moment at this tournament, with France 1-0 down to Spain at the time of writing, while one imagines there could be doubts over his fitness for the start of the new club season as well.

William Saliba’s injury concerns going into this World Cup

This is not the first time we’ve heard about Saliba having a back problem, as it was reported as being an issue for him ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

The 25-year-old was reported as looking likely to miss the World Cup, as per ESPN, though in the end he was able to take part, at least until this evening’s flare-up.

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Meanwhile, L’Equipe also reported that Saliba may require surgery after the tournament, which could mean a delay to the start of the 2026/27 campaign with Arsenal.

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After playing so much football for Arsenal as they won the title and reached two cup finals in the season just gone, it’s not too surprising that it’s all caught up with Saliba a little bit.

AFC supporters will just be hoping this doesn’t mean he’ll be out for a really lengthy period, or they’re surely going to find it very hard to replace him.

The post Major worry for Arsenal as important Gunners star goes off injured during France-Spain appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal have reportedly missed out on the transfer of Real Madrid defender Victor Valdepenas, who is set to join Fiorentina instead.

The talented young Spaniard is closing in on an €8m move from Real Madrid to Fiorentina, according to Fabrizio Romano in a post on his official X page today.

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See below as Romano claims Valdepenas will have a 50% sell-on clause and some form of first refusal option with his new club, putting Real Madrid in control over his long-term future…

?? Fiorentina reach verbal agreement to sign Víctor Valdepeñas from Real Madrid, here we go! ??

€8m transfer fee, contract until June 2031, Real Madrid mantain 50% sell-on clause and future control in case of any bids.

Clubs started exchanging documents today. pic.twitter.com/1HrErsjgM6

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 14, 2026

“Fiorentina reach verbal agreement to sign Víctor Valdepeñas from Real Madrid, here we go!” Romano posted. “€8m transfer fee, contract until June 2031, Real Madrid mantain (sic) 50% sell-on clause and future control in case of any bids. Clubs started exchanging documents today.”

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How Arsenal missed out on Victor Valdepenas transfer

Arsenal have a long-standing interest in Valdepenas, so there’ll likely be some disappointment that they missed out on the 19-year-old.

However, when you look at the terms of this deal with Fiorentina, they’re very favourable towards Los Blancos, and it’s hard to imagine Arsenal would’ve agreed to anything like that.

In truth, this looks like a sale that is very much set up for Valdepenas to come back to Madrid at some point in the future.

Otherwise, even if he leaves Fiorentina for big money, that should be profitable for Real, whereas a club like Arsenal would not generally be in the business of selling star names in that way.

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What it could mean, however, is that the Gunners can come back in for Valdepenas in the future if he impresses at Fiorentina, and whatever fee they pay would be split evenly between La Viola and Los Merengues.

Either that, or it could force Real into re-signing Valdepenas themselves.

The post Fabrizio Romano drops “here we go” for long-term Arsenal transfer target appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal are reportedly now expected to step up their transfer pursuit of Morgan Rogers and Christos Tzolis after the sale of Leandro Trossard.

The Gunners are reigning Premier League champions but will want to build on that success and try to improve even further after notably reaching the Champions League final but losing to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.

It looks like the major changes could take place in attack, with Trossard confirming to Arsenal that he plans to accept an offer to join Besiktas, according to TEAMtalk.

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This is then expected to kickstart Arsenal’s spending, with Aston Villa star Rogers one of their key targets, along with Greek winger Tzolis of Club Brugge.

Arsenal to revamp their attack with new signings and sales

The report also adds that Gabriel Martinelli could leave the Emirates Stadium this summer, though Arsenal can also spend significant money on Rogers and Tzolis even if Trossard is the only one departing.

It’s important in modern football to be careful with squad planning due to Financial Fair Play laws, but it seems Arsenal are confident they could invest in signings even without selling Martinelli on top of Trossard.

The north London giants spent big last summer and it helped them take that crucial step forward to land their first title in 22 years, so if they show similar ambition this year they’ll surely feel they can keep improving and perhaps finally land that elusive Champions League title.

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How to improve this Arsenal team

Even if AFC were fully deserving champions in the end, and unlucky to lose on penalties after a 1-1 draw with PSG, there is clearly room for improvement in Mikel Arteta’s side.

Some fans will feel the title could have been wrapped up even earlier with a bit more spark and flair in the front three, and that’s where someone like Rogers could have a major influence.

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And in that final against PSG, Arteta’s side struggled to keep the ball and create enough, even if they were defensively solid, so in future we could perhaps see a more even game with the presence of players like Rogers and Tzolis who can give them more initiative and forward momentum.

The post Arsenal now expected to intensify pursuit of two transfer targets after player’s message to the club appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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