Arsenal defender William Saliba has missed the past four games due to injury. Getty
Arsenal defender William Saliba has missed the past four games due to injury. Getty
Arsenal defender William Saliba has missed the past four games due to injury. Getty
Arsenal defender William Saliba has missed the past four games due to injury. Getty

Blow for Arsenal as William Saliba suffers delay in comeback from injury


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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admitted that he is unsure when defender William Saliba will return from the back injury that has seen him miss the last four matches.

The Gunners have seen their lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table cut to four points, with Pep Guardiola's side having a game in hand on their title rivals.

And Arsenal have shown some defensive frailties of late, having thrown away two-goal leads against both Liverpool and West Ham. But hopes that Saliba – who had started every Premier League game this season before being forced off during the Europa League defeat to Sporting Lisbon last month – will soon be returning have been dashed.

The France international has been ruled out of Friday's game with bottom club Southampton and is now a major doubt for the crucial clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium next week.

“The picture hasn't changed from last week. Regarding William, we still have to wait a little bit more,” Arteta said on the eve of the Southampton game at the Emirates.

“He is not progressing as quickly as we hoped. It's a bit delicate and we want to be very certain when we push him that he is ready to absorb the load and the risk that we will take and at the moment that's not possible to do.

“Probably next week we will have a little bit more certainty. He is not ready yet to throw him on the pitch and compete with the intensity demanded in this league.”

Also missing for the game against the Saints at the Emirates will be left-back Oleksandr Zincheckno, who was absent for last week's game at West Ham.

West Ham 2 Arsenal 2: Player ratings

“We are not certain,” said Arteta, when asked about when the Ukrainian would be back in action. “It is a muscular injury and he needs some time to heal. We are not there yet.”

Arsenal cannot afford any slip-ups with the Manchester City game looming as they take on a Southampton propping up the table four points from safety and who are without a win since beating Leicester City on March 4.

The North London club were beating Liverpool and West Ham 2-0 after flying out of the blocks at the start of both games before having to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Bukayo Saka missed a penalty that would have put the visitors 3-1 up at the London Stadium, his first failure from the spot since his effort was saved in the Euro 2020 final shoot-out.

But the 21-year-old is still enjoying a stellar season – having scored 13 Premier League goals and provided 10 assists – and Arteta believes Saka can take positives from the penalty miss.

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka after missing a penalty against West Ham. EPA
Arsenal's Bukayo Saka after missing a penalty against West Ham. EPA

“Experiences help, obviously, and what he went through was tough but in a different way it was something beautiful and a great experience for him,” said the Spaniard.

“I think that helped him, not only him but the people around him as well to understand what the reaction has to be, the support and protection that he needs and he will go again.

“He loves responsibility but he puts a lot on his shoulders as well. Again, if he had any doubt about how much people love him, respect him and admire him at the club I think he had a very overwhelming reaction from everyone in the building and the club.

“In the end I think it can be something very positive that can give him a big lift because everyone acted in an unbelievable way towards him because he deserves it because of the way he is.”

Asked whether Saka would remain Arsenal's penalty taker, Arteta added: “Yes. If not, I will go on the pitch and throw him the ball to make sure he takes the next one!”

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Zidane's managerial achievements

La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017

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Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

New UK refugee system

 

  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Gulf Men's League final

Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Super Saturday results

4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).

4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
Winner: Divine Image, Brett Doyle, Charlie Appleby.

5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.

6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Old Persian, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Reading List

Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung

How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh

The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever

Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays

How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog

Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi

Age: 23

How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them

Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need

Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman

Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs 

Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing

Libya's Gold

UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves. 

The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.

Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.

Updated: April 20, 2023, 12:55 PM