William Saliba makes ‘shocking’ Arsenal transfer admission ahead of huge Mikel Arteta decision

William Saliba, an Arsenal loanee, has said that signing for the club in 2019 was “amazing,” but that being dropped to the youth team affected him as well. Since then, the Frenchman has made an impression in Ligue 1, but his future remains uncertain.

The 21-year-old is now on loan at Marseille for the season, where he has appeared in 36 league games and won over the home crowd. Saliba earned the league’s Young Player of the Year award, which had previously been won by the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni.

With Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes now pairing for Mikel Arteta at the Emirates, it’s unclear how he’ll fit in. This has raised concerns over his future, with some speculating that he may return to Les Olympiens this summer.

“I realize that sometimes it’s tough to explain or understand after the money that the club has spent trying to bring him in, to send him on loan,” the Spaniard remarked when asked about the potential of a transfer. However, he has been through a lot.

“We need to safeguard him because he’s a long-term player for us.” Giving him three or four games isn’t enough. He’s quite excited to go there right now. Hopefully, he’ll have a good time playing football and be ready for us next season.”

In light of the speculation, the defender spoke with Pro Direct Soccer France about his career. He said, “I went to Arsenal afterwards, and it was a bit special…” he remarked.

“I didn’t play, I played with the under-23s,” he said, adding that his experience of being dropped into the youth team immediately after had affected him. I still went to the Premier League, and it was a fantastic experience that taught me a lot and made me stronger.”

“At first, being dropped into the academy was shocking. You think to yourself, ‘a £30 million transfer, people were waiting for you to arrive,’ and suddenly you find yourself playing in the reserves against players your own age. I didn’t want to play at first because it surprised me.”

“It hurts when they sign you for £30 million and put you in the reserves.” This demonstrates Saliba’s determination to play first-team football despite the difficulties he has faced at the Emirates.

With a complete transfer story orbiting that one major item, it’s questionable whether Arteta will be able to afford that time to the centre-back.