For the first time this season, Mikel Arteta is weighing up the prospect of naming an Arsenal starting line-up in the Premier League without William Saliba.
The Gunners' manager will be looking for an immediate response from his side following their Europa League round of 16 penalty shootout defeat at the hands of Sporting CP as they welcome Crystal Palace to the Emirates Stadium where victory will open up an eight-point lead at the top of the table.
However, there are concerns over Saliba's involvement against the Eagles after being forced off in the first half on Thursday night with a back injury and Arteta unable to provide too much of an update: "Willy? I don’t know, he had some discomfort and could not continue so we had to take him out," the Arsenal boss told reporters.
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Now, football.london understands that the Frenchman will continue to be assessed to decide if he's available for the London derby on Sunday afternoon.
The fact that Saliba is an ever-present for Arsenal in the Premier League so far this season and with the Palace clash of huge importance with regard to the title race, it's a clear indication that he will retain his place in central defence - presumably alongside Gabriel Magalhaes - if passed fit.
But, in the scenario that the 21-year-old is deemed unavailable for selection, Arteta will have to find a replacement. Although, with Takehiro Tomiyasu - also injured against Sporting CP - ruled out after being spotted leaving the Emirates on crutches, all of a sudden the Spaniard's options are rather limited.
The most obvious, and likely, candidate is Rob Holding. His role this season has been as the backup right-sided centre-back and it was rather telling that he replaced Saliba on Thursday night. Having said that, not starting a single league game so far this season could work against him, thus opening the door for Arteta to potentially turn to last year's most-used central defensive pairing.
Benjamin White has performed wonders at right-back, but a return to the middle to partner Gabriel has been discussed: "We are really happy with where he is and obviously with the way William [Saliba] has been playing it makes sense for Ben to play there but that doesn't mean he cannot play as a central defender," Arteta said earlier in the season.
"We all believed he had the qualities to do that [right-back] role and the most important step, probably, was for him to believe that he could do it, to feel comfortable in that position and that this position could maximise his potential as well to give him another dimension as a player. The fact that now he can play in various positions, I think makes him a more complete player and I think he's very happy with that."
This option seems unlikely as it would leave the Gunners short at right-back, especially with Tomiyasu unavailable. So unless, Arteta is planning to hand a senior debut to academy prospect Reuell Walters, for example, it's almost certain that White will continue in his role at full-back regardless of whether Saliba is fit to play or not.
Then there's January signing Jakub Kiwior who hasn't made a Premier League appearance yet and was brought in more as cover for Gabriel. Whilst some scouting reports say the Poland international has experience playing as the right-sided central defender, him replacing Saliba would be a massive gamble when taking into consideration that it's unusual to see two left-footers at the heart of a defence.
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