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.
![[Arsenal FC v Tottenham Hotspur FC - Premier League]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-2193517015.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
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.
![[Newcastle United v Arsenal FC - Premier League]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GettyImages-1252931227.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=594)
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.
