Arsenal loanee William Saliba has revealed that it was “special” to sign for the club 2019, but being dropped to the youth team also hurt him. The Frenchman has since impressed in Ligue 1, with huge question marks hanging over his future.
The 21-year-old is currently at Marseille for the season, where he has made 36 league appearances, winning over the home crowd during that time. So impressive were his displays, Saliba won the Young Player of the Year award in the league, previously won by the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni.
It remains to be seen exactly how he fits at the Emirates though, with Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes the current pairing for Mikel Arteta. That has left questions over his future, with some suggestion that he could return to Les Olympiens in the summer.
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Discussing the possibility of a transfer, the Spaniard said: “I know that sometimes it’s difficult to explain or understand after the money that the club has spent trying to bring him in, to send him on loan. But a lot of things have happened to him.
“He’s a long-term player for us and we need to protect him as well. And giving him three or four games is not enough. He’s very happy to go there now. Hopefully, he can enjoy his football and be ready for us for next season."
And, in light of such speculation, the defender discussed his career with Pro Direct Soccer France, making several admissions about the Gunners. He said: “I went to Arsenal afterwards and it was a bit special…”
He then added that his experience in being dropped into the youth side shortly after had hurt him: “I didn’t play, I played with the under-23s. I still went to the Premier League and it’s an experience that taught me a lot, and I came out of it bigger and much stronger.”
“It [being dropped into the academy] was shocking at first. You say to yourself, ‘a £30million transfer all that, people were waiting for you to come’ and then you find yourself in the reserves against players your age. It shocked me at first, I didn’t even want to play.”
“When they buy you for £30million and drop you in the reserves, it hurts.” It shows how difficult the road at the Emirates has been for Saliba, as well as his determination to play first-team football.
It is unclear as to whether Arteta will be able to afford that time to the centre-back, with a whole transfer saga circling that one key topic.
