William Saliba is said to be targeting a November return. That's the word coming out of France, anyway, on a back problem described as long-standing. I'll believe it when Arsenal say it.
The confirmed part is bleak enough. Saliba, 25, hasn't played since France lost their World Cup semi-final to Spain on 14 July. He was forced off in the first half.
What's missing matters more than what's there. Nobody has said what the back problem actually is, whether he's had surgery, or what stepping up his recovery involves. It isn't clear whether Arsenal have confirmed a timeline. There's also more to the French account than has surfaced so far.
So treat November as a target, not a date. A back issue that's been around long enough to earn "long-standing" isn't something you'd want hurried. His contract runs to 2030, which leaves Arsenal no reason to rush him back for a few autumn fixtures.
Who has been covering for him hasn't been set out. You'd still say his absence makes August's £51m move for Ezri Konsa look less like a luxury and more like insurance.
Alessia Russo didn't dress it up in Paris. "We are in a tough spot," she said after the 2-2 draw with Paris FC. The rest of her answers haven't surfaced, so it's not known exactly what she was pointing at.
If she meant the WSL, she's right. Arsenal are seventh after four league games. In Europe they're fifth and haven't lost in two, which is no crisis at all.
I'd read the remark as being about the league. Manchester City away on 4 October is not the fixture you'd pick to get out of a hole. Still, a senior player saying it plainly beats another round of reassurance.
Ceadach O'Neill is 18, an Arsenal teenager, and wanted on both sides of the Irish border. He's said to be one cap away from committing his long-term future to Northern Ireland. The Republic of Ireland are also said to be still courting him.
How many caps he has now isn't known. Neither is which match would settle it, or whether he's made up his mind. I'm not taking a side in the tug-of-war until someone explains what makes him so coveted.
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