Didier Deschamps surprised Arsenal fans once again on Saturday afternoon when he left William Saliba out of the starting XI for the second consecutive match. It was expected going into the tournament that the centre-back would start for Les Bleus.
Saliba has been sensational for Arsenal so far in the Premier League campaign. His defensive excellence was met by his attacking capabilities as he scored his first goals for the Gunners with a wonder strike against Bournemouth and a precise header against Brentford.
But, the Frenchman received another blow during the World Cup as it emerged that he is Deschamps' fourth-choice centre back as Raphael Varane was selected to start ahead of him.
READ MORE: Didier Deschamps' shock William Saliba France decision hands Arsenal perfect transfer blueprint
Before thee World Cup, GFFN had reported that Saliba was expected to start alongside Varane of Manchester United and Monaco defender Benoit Badiashile. The expectation was that Didier Deschamps would play a 3-4-1-2 formation.
It was expected that Saliba was to start in France’s opening match against Australia, but Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate started the match in defence, with Saliba staying on the bench.
Varane had not started a match since the injury he suffered against Chelsea on October 22 in the Premier League, but he was fit in time before the World Cup, and this led him to starting France's second group stage match against Denmark instead of Saliba.
Despite the disappointment for Saliba, the same feeling will not be expressed amongst Arsenal fans as 90min have reported that Arsenal are pushing hard to tie Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Saliba down to new long-term contracts. The report goes on to claim that Edu believes all three deals are on the right track, with the Gunners hopeful that all three will have put pen to paper by January.
Saliba not starting France on the biggest of footballing stages prevents other clubs from potentially getting an extra scout report, which could eventually lead to serious transfer interest. The World Cup has been a tournament that has notoriously led to many transfers in the past.
With the Frenchman not playing it means that Arsenal could have less competitors in securing Saliba’s contract, which makes negotiations in agreeing to a deal less complicated.
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