William Saliba has vowed to prove his mettle at Arsenal in a declaration that suggests he has softened his stance on returning to his parent club this summer.
The defender, 21, enjoyed a brilliant season on loan at Marseille and was crowned the Young Player of the Season in Ligue 1 after making 52 appearances in all competitions. He suggested he was keen to extend his stay in his native France in May as this would allow him to play Champions League football next season.
However, Mikel Arteta insisted Saliba "has to come back" to the Gunners ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, meaning manager and player may have been at loggerheads over the latter's future. That being said, in a fresh update, the centre-back appears to have decided to return to the Emirates and fight for his place in the squad.
He is yet to make a senior appearance for the North London club and is desperate to change that three years on from his £27million arrival from St-Etienne. "I belong to Arsenal, and I still have two years there," Saliba told TF1 , per Get Football News France.
"I will be there for pre-season with Arsenal. I have played zero matches with Arsenal and I want to show them what I'm made of and have the chance to play for the supporters and for this big club." Affirming his dedication to the Gunners, he added: "In any case, leaving like that would be a shame."
Saliba's comments suggest he will be battling with Gabriel and Benjamin White for a place at the heart of defence next season. Arteta is pleased with how regularly he played for Marseille and believes this more than justified the decision to send him out on loan.
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"He has to come back," the Arsenal manager told RMC Sport of Saliba. "He has the experience and the environment necessary to be competitive with us. If he had stayed with us this year, with a match of Premier League a week, with Ben White and Gabriel, he wouldn't have had half the playing time he had with Marseille, that's for sure.
"For his growth and what he can do next season that wouldn't have been good. William wasn't with us because he wouldn't have had the playing time to gain experience. That's it, there's nothing else. We made the right decision." With Saliba poised to fight for a place in the squad, Arsenal are expected to focus their efforts in the transfer market on signing a new centre-forward and strengthen in midfield.
