William Saliba's influence in Arsenal team laid bare after injury blow

William Saliba has handed Arsenal a fresh injury concern after missing the 1-1 draw with Chelsea in the Premier League

Mikael Silvestre says 'influential' William Saliba can guide Arsenal to the Premier League title. The Gunners face an anxious wait after the central defender missed the draw against Chelsea with a knock.

The France international has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League after forging a successful partnership with Gabriel. Saliba's quality and form in recent years has led to speculation over a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid with Los Blancos plotting the next stage of their evolution in defence.

Salbia missed Sunday's showdown with Chelsea as the Gunners couldn't capitalise on slip-ups below them with Manchester City squandering a two-goal lead against Leeds United. Chelsea were reduced to 10 men and forced to play with a man disadvantage for nearly an hour after Moises Caicedo was sent off for a tackle on Mikel Merino.

Silvestre, who made 46 appearances for Arsenal, has gushed over the Frenchman as he claimed the quality of the defender will be pivotal in the Premier League title race.

He exclusively told football.london: "He's been in the Team of the Year two times in a row so it's no surprise to see he's the best centre-back, with Gabriel, in the Premier League.

"You want him on the pitch, for sure, for Arsenal to win the title. He's becoming a leader in the team, he's still young but because he started early at Arsenal, he's much stronger and much ready for the Premier League.

"His influence in the backline is growing, the club level is good for the French national team."

The central defender was involved for their important 3-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, but Saliba was a surprise and noticeable absentee from the Arsenal side that started at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. On-loan Bayer Leverkusen stopper Piero Hincapie deputised alongside Cristhian Mosquera with defensive problems mounting for Mikel Arteta.

Already, Arteta has been handed a blow with Gabriel Magalhaes suffering an issue on international duty with Brazil.

The timeline for Saliba remains unclear for the timebeing while a thigh injury will see him sidelined for a number of weeks. As a result, the 21-year-old Mosquera has started alongside the Ecuadorian, 23.

Arteta confirmed that Saliba will undergo further tests after feeling discomfort in the lead up to Sunday's top-of-the-table clash.

He said: "Yesterday in training he was uncomfortable, so we need to explore a little bit more what happened.

"I don't think it's something major, but enough not to be involved in the game."