Arsenal are staring down a significant defensive crisis after William Saliba’s back injury worsened during France’s World Cup campaign this summer.
The centre-back was forced off during France’s semi-final defeat to Spain, with the problem now serious enough to require medical intervention in the coming weeks.
French publication L’Equipe reports that surgery is the likely outcome for Saliba, with the Arsenal defender expected to miss four to five months of action as a result.
The timeline puts Arsenal in a deeply uncomfortable position heading into the new season, with Cristhian Mosquera currently the only recognised centre-back available to Mikel Arteta.
Arteta will be forced into unorthodox defensive arrangements unless the club moves quickly and decisively in the transfer market before the window closes.
One name attracting serious attention is Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix, though the French defender is understood to be a primary target for fellow London club Chelsea this summer.
Palace have reportedly placed a £70 million price tag on the 26-year-old, a figure that reflects just how highly the club values one of their most important defensive assets.
Lacroix stepped off the bench to replace Saliba in the World Cup semi-final, earning the trust of France manager Didier Deschamps ahead of Ibrahima Konate in a high-pressure international fixture.
His statistics back up that confidence, with Lacroix ranking in the top 17% of Premier League players for duels per 90, top 13% for aerial duels won, top 15% for defensive contributions, and top 23% for tackles, according to FotMob.
In possession, he exceeds the Premier League average for centre-backs in successful dribbles and touches in the opposition box, while carrying an overall pass completion rate of 88.2%.
Football.london’s London Sports Editor Matt Maltby offered detailed insight into just how highly Lacroix is regarded within the game right now.
“There’s a reason Maxence Lacroix is being linked with the big clubs now, with Chelsea chasing the centre-back all summer,” Maltby explained.
“Palace are understood to have slapped a £70 million price tag on the 26-year-old – and rightly so,” Maltby continued, adding that the defender has been central to the club’s FA Cup and Conference League glory.
“He’s a Rolls-Royce of a defender and is a good character too, bringing experience to a dressing room,” Maltby said, describing Lacroix as confident on the ball and unafraid to get stuck in defensively.
“Eagles fans won’t want to lose him, but he’s ready to make the step up,” Maltby noted, though he questioned whether Lacroix would accept a move without guaranteed first-team football.
The £70 million valuation is likely to give Arsenal serious pause, with spending that figure on a second centre-back a difficult proposition for most clubs to justify.
If the Lacroix route proves too expensive, Arsenal could explore alternatives such as free agent John Stones or a more cost-effective option elsewhere in the market.
What seems beyond doubt is that Arsenal cannot afford to leave the position unaddressed, with Saliba’s absence creating a void that needs filling as a matter of urgency.
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