The European Championships and Copa America will take place this summer, and Arsenal have several stars set to feature in both tournaments.
Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are set to be key starters for England, whilst Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko could perform in different positions to the ones they normally feature in under Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal have some of the Premier League’s best players within their ranks, but captain Martin Odegaard will not feature on the International stage this summer as Norway failed to qualify for the tournament, and defender William Saliba is also set for some frustration.
Saliba is ranked as the most valuable centre-back in world football, but his National Team manager Didier Deschamps clearly disagrees, as the 23-year-old is set to be benched by France during the tournament.
William Saliba will not start for France at Euro 2024
French outlet L’Equipe have now revealed that the plan for Deschamps this summer is to start Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate and Bayern Munich star Dayot Upamecano at centre-back, meaning Saliba will be on the bench for France.
It is claimed that Konate and Upamecano’s previous partnership at RB Leipzig makes this the more attractive option, as they can revive what was an outstanding pairing together with the understanding they have.
Deschamps believes that Saliba, 23, is not as established as the two 25-year-olds, and this will be yet another summer on the bench for the Arsenal centre-back.
“He is having a good season, but he also does things that I don’t like so much,” Deschamps stated of Saliba in March.
“For France, he has limited game time, but when he plays, that hasn’t necessarily gone well.”
William Saliba France frustration is beneficial for Arsenal
Whilst Saliba may be disappointed at the lack of recognition from his own National Team, Arteta will be relieved that he is not playing yet more football.
Saliba played for every minute of Arsenal’s Premier League campaign, becoming the first Arsenal player in history to achieve such a feat, and he is one of Arsenal’s most important stars.
The club has blocked him from joining Thierry Henry’s squad for the Olympics, and as things stand, he is set to gain a proper rest this summer.
Arsenal collapsed in the title race in 2023 when Saliba picked up a long-term injury, and keeping him fit and fresh is of paramount importance to Arteta.
Saliba himself will be disappointed though. He has been outstanding in back-to-back seasons in a title-contending Arsenal side, and he has certainly been better than both defenders selected ahead of him.
Upamecano was a disaster for Bayern Munich at times this season, with red cards in consecutive games against Lazio and Borussia Dortmund derailing their league campaign, whilst Konate was also inconsistent for Liverpool, having even been sent off in a defeat at the Emirates in February, and it is France’s loss and Arteta’s gain that Deschamps rates both above Saliba.