Who should Arsenal sign to cover for Saliba? Three possible options for Mikel Arteta

William Saliba’s back injury, picked up during France’s World Cup campaign this summer, has left Mikel Arteta with a genuine headache going into the title defence.

No surgery is required, but “extended period” is the kind of vague phrase that makes fans nervous and with Coventry visiting the Emirates on August 21, Arsenal can’t afford to be short at the back.

Here are three names doing the rounds, and which option could be the best one for the defending Premier League champions.

1. Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa)

Konsa is the name most consistently linked, and it’s easy to see why. He’s 28, English, Premier League-proven, and was a regular for England at this summer’s World Cup.

He rarely gets injured, reads the game well, and can double up at right-back if needed, exactly the kind of low-risk, high-floor signing you make when you need cover in a hurry rather than a project.

Arsenal have reportedly already had a bid knocked back, with Villa holding out for something closer to their £60m valuation. The sticking point isn’t quality, it’s price and Villa’s reluctance to strengthen a rival.

2. Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)

This one is the mischief-maker’s dream. Reports suggest Romero is open to crossing north London, partly, apparently, because of his relationship with Arsenal coach Gabriel Heinze but Tottenham have been unambiguous that they will not sell to their fiercest rivals, whatever the player wants.

Fabrizio Romano has all but closed the door on it from Spurs’ side.

Romero is combative, aggressive, and would improve Arsenal’s spine on paper, but between the boardroom veto and Atlético Madrid reportedly leading the race for him, this is more transfer gossip than genuine business.

3. Jacobo Ramón (Como)

The romantic option. Just 21, a Real Madrid academy graduate who impressed with 32 Serie A appearances for Cesc Fàbregas’ Como last season, Ramón is comfortable in possession and strong in the air, the type of ball-playing defender Arteta usually falls for.

The catch is Real Madrid still hold 50% of any future fee plus buy-back rights, and Chelsea are also circling.

He’s a two-or-three-years-down-the-line signing being squeezed into an emergency situation.

Which option is the best for Arsenal?

This comes down to timing over talent.

Arsenal aren’t short on ceiling at centre-back, Gabriel, Calafiori, Hincapié, Mosquera and White are all there, what they’re short on is a proven, ready-made body who can start without a bedding-in period.

That rules out Ramón, however exciting he looks, signing him now would be about the future, not about plugging this gap.

Romero is a brilliant player, but I’d be amazed if this deal actually happens. Tottenham have said no at every level, and pushing a move through would cause more noise than it’s worth this close to the season starting.

That leaves Konsa, and honestly, he’s the sensible pick anyway.

Premier League experience, a clean bill of health, England’s first-choice partnership at the World Cup, and a manager in Unai Emery who’s clearly built his defence around him, that’s a track record you can trust in a title race.