- William Saliba seems finally set to feature for Arsenal, having NEVER made an appearance
- Saliba impressed on loan in France, winning the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year Award
- With the Wenger era deep wood long gone, Arsenal’s squad is starting to show real strength and depth
William Saliba has confirmed he’ll be returning to parent club Arsenal ahead of the new season after impressing on long at Marseille.
Signed in 2019 for £27 million, the Frenchman is yet to make a senior appearance for the North London side. The defender has instead enjoyed loan spells in his native France with Nice and more recently, Marseille, where his game has continued to develop.
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Last season saw Saliba win the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year Award, helping Marseille to a second-place finish behind PSG in the league. The defender also won his first caps for France and has made 3 appearances for Les Bleus to date.
There was strong speculation suggesting Saliba would remain in Marseille, with the defender being coy for most of the season regarding his long-term future. Such rumours have now been put to bed as Saliba confirmed he’ll be returning to Arsenal on French TV program Telefoot:
“I belong to Arsenal. I still have two years left. I will be back with Arsenal. I have played zero matches, and I still want to show them my true face and have the chance to play for these fans and this great club.”
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta also confirmed last month his intentions to use Saliba next season:
“He needs to come back,” Arteta told RMC Sport. “He has the experience and environment necessary to be competitive for us.”
“If he had stayed with us this year, with a Premier League game per week with Ben White and Gabriel, he wouldn’t have had half the game time he got at Marseille, that’s certain.”
“For his growth and what he can do next year, it wouldn’t have been good. William wasn’t with us because he wouldn’t have got the required time on the pitch to gain experience. That’s it, there’s nothing else.”
The news will no doubt please Arsenal fans, who will be keen to see the French International in red and white. After seasons of clearing out the dead wood, Arsenal’s defence is starting to show some real strength and depth.
