Mikel Arteta does not view Arsenal’s growing options at centre back as a concern. Instead, he believes the return of William Saliba, alongside Gabriel and Ezri Konsa, gives the squad a chance to manage the season more effectively.

Konsa, who started most of England’s run to a third-place finish at the tournament, was signed in August with the understanding that Saliba would be unavailable for several months. Since then, he has settled into the Arsenal line-up and has been consistently reliable.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday after Arsenal arrived in Czechia for their Champions League meeting with Slavia Prague, Arteta suggested Saliba is now close to being available whenever the manager chooses to call on him.

“He’s in, and he’s in like anybody else,” Arteta explained. “All the preparation has been done to measure all the loads and all the steps that he had to do to minimize that risk. Now he’s in a really good place. He’s built the capacity that we needed and now it’s about giving him minutes.

“A center back normally has to be able to play 90 minutes and that’s why all the preparation that we’ve done to build him.” Saliba himself, Arteta said, is “very desperate” to get back and will have the “right amount of minutes very soon.”

For Saliba to regain his place, one of Gabriel or Konsa would need to step aside. Arteta said that having all three available is a “luxury” Arsenal have not enjoyed earlier in the season.

“I wouldn’t call it a problem,” he said. “We can talk about problems that are very different to that one.”

Arteta has long spoken about the physical strain placed on players across four club competitions, plus international commitments. He believes a deeper pool at centre back can help Arsenal rotate more intelligently and handle the demands of the schedule with greater control.

Mikel Arteta has defended his reaction to Max Dowman after the teenager was sent off for the first time in his Arsenal career, insisting the moment has to be viewed in context. The manager, who appeared visibly angry as Dowman walked off, said his warning reflected standards set before the match rather than a lack of support for the 16-year-old.

Arteta admitted the optics were open to criticism, but he was clear that his response was tied to the demands of the occasion. “I haven’t seen the reaction to my reaction,” Arteta confessed ahead of Arsenal’s marquee weekend clash with Liverpool. “Whether that’s positive or negative. I understand, but you need to understand the context, the relationship I have with him and what we discussed just before we went out.

“If you see the reaction of my mother and father with me sometimes, you’d say ‘I don’t like that reaction,’ but for me it was the best reaction ever, to be able to be who I am. But you want, obviously, the best and most beautiful one. You want to see the reaction of his teammates when they have to play with 10 men?

“That’s the reaction, that’s the level,” Arteta added. “Whether it’s right or wrong, that’s the reaction. And the reaction when I don’t win, you know what it is? I’m p—-d off, big time. We need to be ready, this is the environment and the reality.

“Otherwise we are in Disneyland. We are not in Disneyland, we are in the Premier League at this level, and we look after him so much, like you cannot imagine. But at the same time, we are going to demand him like anybody else, because he needs to earn the right to play. Otherwise, the rest of the boys, what are they going to tell me? You need to be fair, that’s all.”

The Arsenal boss was also frustrated by the FA’s decision not to overturn the dismissal. “Very disappointed to be fair,” Arteta said. “Especially with the reckless tackles that he received but then his reaction is minimal in relation to the action. And yeah, disappointed it’s not being overturned.

“It is what it is,” the Spaniard boss added. “We have put every argument on the table to make a case for it. Not only the action, obviously, that is so evident when you look it back in slow motion, [but also] the previous action and Max’s action. It’s clear obviously we have a different opinion. And on top of that I think you need to read the context of the player, the age and what happened previously.”

Dowman escaped serious injury after the challenge from Harrison Neal, with Arteta saying “it could’ve been really bad.” He added that the youngster must learn to keep his composure, especially given the way opponents target his style of play, something he has already experienced after being sent off a month ago while on international duty with England U-19’s side.

Arsenal have failed in their bid to overturn the red card shown to Max Dowman in the midweek defeat to Fleetwood Town, with the Football Association confirming the appeal has been dismissed.

Dowman was dismissed for violent conduct in the 85th minute after kicking out at Harrison Neal. The 16-year-old reacted after a forceful challenge from the Fleetwood midfielder went unpunished by referee Michael Salisbury.

The FA later issued a statement confirming the outcome of Arsenal’s case. It read: “An independent Regulatory Commission has dismissed claims of both wrongful dismissal and excessive punishment for Max Dowman.”

The decision leaves Dowman facing a three-match suspension in domestic competition. That ban begins with Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Liverpool, a significant test for the reigning champions.

He will be available for the Champions League trip to Slavia Prague, as domestic suspensions do not apply in UEFA competitions. But Dowman will then sit out league matches at home to Hull City and away to Newcastle United, either side of the November international break.

His next domestic appearance is scheduled to come against Manchester City on Nov. 29, a meeting that is shaping up as a major one in the title race.

Ordinarily, the teenager’s absence would not trouble Mikel Arteta too heavily, with Dowman still largely a bit-part player in the Premier League and Champions League. Yet the timing is awkward for Arsenal, who are already managing a depleted squad.

Arteta is also without Bukayo Saka, Arsenal’s first-choice right winger, after the England international suffered a thigh injury in the recent Champions League match with Bayern Munich. His return date remains unclear, although he is expected to miss around two months of action.