Mikel Arteta has responded to William Saliba's reported 'unhappiness' at Arsenal after he was not included in the club's official team photo on Wednesday

Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal will retake the official 2026/27 team photo to include William Saliba. The Gunners faced backlash earlier this week after posting the image, which included all 24 first-team players except Saliba, who the club said wasn't available due to a 'medical appointment'.

It prompted speculation that Saliba could leave and is unhappy at the Emirates Stadium. But Arteta appeared to downplay those rumours in his pre-Nottingham Forest press conference on Friday.

The Arsenal head coach admitted that the club had rescheduled it three times for different matters but had to get it done for commercial sponsors, forcing Saliba to miss out on the photo.

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Arteta said: "We've tried to do the picture three times already, we have some commercial obligations so we had to do that picture, we will have another picture with the whole family one day."

When pressed on Saliba's reported unhappiness at Arsenal, Arteta added: "It wasn't in his hands but normally he is always happy."

Saliba hasn't featured for Arsenal at all this season after injuring his back while playing for France at the World Cup. At the time, it was thought that the 25-year-old might need surgery to fix the issue, but the Gunners have settled with rest as the best course of action right now.

Delivering an update on Saliba's fitness, Arteta continued: "Again, I think next week we have another MRI with him to see how the healing process is at the moment. But every sign so far has been very, very positive. It will be great to have him."

Arteta and his staff have taken precautions regarding Saliba's return, with Ezri Konsa and Cristhian Mosquera impressing when called upon this season.

Although Saliba is making progress, a return date has not been pencilled in.

After the 3-0 win against Lille on Tuesday, Arteta was asked about his availability after the November international break, which would be in five weeks' time.

He said: "I don't know, we're still talking about weeks, and when that happens it's very different whether he would play just before, or after that, because it's a very specific injury that he processes."

The Gunners travel to Forest on Sunday looking to keep the pressure on Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, with Arteta's side winning five out of their six top-flight matches so far.