Arsenal have today been handed a big boost in their hopes of winning the 2024/24 Premier League title thanks to France and William Saliba.
The north London side endured a long season that saw Arsenal make it all the way to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League as well as fight Manchester City for the English championship right up to the final day of the campaign.
And for Saliba, it was a record-breaking year for the defender as the France international played every minute for Arsenal, becoming the first outfield player to do just so for the Premier League era for the Gunners.
Which is why today’s news from France could viewed as massive for Arsenal in their title hopes.
Saliba left out of France’s Olympic squad in title boost for Arsenal
As per the France Football Federation’s official website, Thierry Henry has left Saliba out of Les Bleus’ provisional squad for the Olympics, which are due to take place in Paris and France this summer.
Given the occasion, there was a real incentive from the FFF for Henry to name as strong a team as possible for the Olympics, yet given that the competition isn’t authorised by FIFA, clubs like Arsenal can turn down requests for players to compete.
READ MORE: All Mikel Arteta signings at Arsenal ranked from worst to best
With reports suggesting that Arsenal have gone through this process in regards to Saliba, official word that the defender will not compete in the Olympics having also being named in France’s squad for the Euros is nothing short of massive for the Gunners.
Indeed, Saliba’s exclusion from the Olympics means the defender can join Arsenal in their pre-season preparations for the new campaign, where the Gunners will be set on winning the Premier League.
Gunners will want Saliba as refreshed as possible for the new season
With Saliba playing every single minute in the Premier League last season, the 23-year-old defender arguably deserves a break more than any other player in the Arsenal squad.
With the Euros also coming up this summer, Arsenal will want Saliba to be as refreshed as possible heading into the new season, where the Gunners will want their star defender to be back to his best.
The France international was huge in Arsenal going as far as they did in the title ace, and with Saliba now not going to the Olympics, the centre-back will be ready for the new season if he can return to pre-season fully refreshed and raring to go.