After his third loan spell in Ligue 1 with Marseille, there was some uncertainty about Saliba’s future at Arsenal. However, he expressed his determination to prove himself to Mikel Arteta and has certainly done so. Teaming up with Gabriel Magalhaes, Saliba has helped Arsenal secure consecutive second-place finishes in the Premier League, contributing five goals and two assists in 83 appearances across all competitions.
Although Saliba has earned 15 caps for France, he hasn't been a favorite under Deschamps, playing only 27 minutes at the 2022 World Cup. Recently, he was overlooked in favor of Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano for a starting spot in a 3-0 friendly win over Luxembourg, although he played the full 90 minutes in a goalless draw against Canada shortly after.
Despite his solid performance against Canada, it was expected that Deschamps would stick with the Konate-Upamecano pairing for Monday's Group D opener against Austria in Dusseldorf. However, according to L'Equipe, Deschamps has been testing a lineup in training with Saliba in defense instead of Konate, indicating that the Arsenal defender might start over the Liverpool player.
While Deschamps has long trusted Konate, the Liverpool defender lost his starting spot to Jarell Quansah during the final games under Jurgen Klopp and has struggled with fitness issues since joining the Reds. Nonetheless, Konate was a key player in three of France's 2022 World Cup matches, including the semi-final win over Morocco.
