Arsenal defender William Saliba has insisted they would have won the title last season, had he not got injured in the run-in.
The centre-back has been speaking to Téléfoot, relayed by So Foot, in France regarding his injury last year, which he believes curtailed the Gunners title chances.
Saliba was a key player for Arsenal last season as they run Manchester City close through the entirety of the season in an engaging title race.
They appeared to be on course to pip Pep Guardiola’s side to the post, maintaining their early season form into the second half, despite some wobbles, to take the race the distance.
A run of five straight wins from February to March had them firmly still in the race but, following a 3-0 win over Fulham, Saliba was diagnosed with a back injury.
Initial reports indicated it would not be a lengthy one but that did not prove to be the case as he ended up missing the rest of the season.
That left a huge hole in Arsenal’s defence, and it proved to be telling as they suffered a series of disappointing results in his absence that saw their title challenge collapse.
Saliba was forced to watch that from the sidelines and insists he thinks if he’d been available, the story would have panned out differently.
“Last year, I had a good season,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I got injured during the year, in the final sprint. It’s clear that I was a little disappointed, but there you go, it’s a new season with new ambitions, I hope we will do better.
“It’s clear that with me, Arsenal could have been champions. But now, injuries are part of football, and we are focused on this season.”
