Arsenal loanee defender William Saliba claims he will decide on his future in a few months' time, with discussions set to be held between the Gunners and Marseille. The France international also claims that it "would not be a bad idea" to stay with Les Olympiens.
The 20-year-old signed for Arsenal from Saint-Etienne in 2019 for roughly £27million, given just how promising he was. Breaking into the first-team at the Emirates has been a challenge though, with loan moves back to Ligue 1 showing glimpses of his talent.
Saliba has started nearly every league game for Marseille this season, making 28 appearances and keeping 10 clean sheets in that time. His form has managed to impress Didier Deschamps, who handed him a first call-up to the France senior national side for March’s international fixtures.
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Given the performances of Ben White and Gabriel as a partnership this season, it could be tough for the youngster to fight his way into the starting side. When asked about his potential future at the club back in October, Mikel Arteta said: "That’s a decision that we’ll make in the summer, obviously he’s our player, and naturally that would happen, and we’d have to sit down and decide what the best step is next."
That is a message that has been reinforced by Saliba, however he has left the door open to joining Marseille. He was asked about whether a move to Marseille has progressed when talking with RMC Sport and said: "No, but I never hid that I felt good here. I don't know my future, there are two months left, the most important thing is to qualify for the Champions League and go as far as possible in the Conference League.
"I think there will be discussions afterwards, at the end of May-beginning of June, with Arsenal and Marseille, we will decide at that time. But it is sure that continuing here would not be a bad idea, on the contrary, I know the city, my teammates, my coach. But it's not just up to me."
It remains to be seen what will happen next for the centre-back, with the partnership between White and Gabriel looking as stable as ever. It also wouldn’t be a surprise to see him come into the fray, given Arteta’s fondness of using his promising talent.
However, if the player is keen on a move to Marseille, it may also free up some funds for the Gunners to further reinforce their own ranks and push for yet more players in the summer.
