William Saliba confirms Arsenal return
William Saliba has previously indicated he wants to stay at the Stade Velodrome but now says he plans to fulfill his contract with Arsenal.
What did William Saliba say?
The French international has confirmed he will return to Arsenal this summer, with Marseille now set to miss out on the player’s loan extension. The Gunners sent William on loan for the third time since signing him from Saint-Étienne in 2019 last summer as Marseille snapped at him on a season-long deal. William Saliba played a key role in helping the club finish second in Ligue 1 at the deadline and subsequently expressed a desire to stay at the Stade Velodrome to play Champions League football but has now completed a reversal of its future.
The French defender won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award while earning a place in the France squad as a result of his stellar performance for Marseille and is eager to bring that form to Emirates Stadium. The center has yet to make a competitive appearance for the Gunners, but the player is determined to make his way into Arteta’s plans.
William Saliba said he belongs to Arsenal and has two more years to go. Saliba will be there for pre-season with Arsenal. William has made zero appearances with Arsenal and wants to show them what he is made of and have the chance to play for the supporters and for this big club. According to William Saliba, it depends only on him. Either way, it would be a shame to leave.
Mikel Arteta talks about William
The Arsenal manager has always been confident in the Frenchman’s return to the Emirates and believes his Marseille experience will keep him in good shape for the 2022-23 campaign. Mikel Arteta does not regret his initial decision to green-light France’s temporary move to Marseille despite his side missing out on a 2021-22 PL top-four finish.
Mikel said last month that they made the right decision. According to Mikel Arteta, William Saliba should be back. Saliba has the experience needed to be competitive with them. If William had stayed with them this year, with one PL match a week, with Gabriel and Ben White, he wouldn’t have had half of his playing time with Marseille, that’s for sure. Arteta says that for William Saliba’s height and what he can do next season, it wouldn’t be good. Saliba wasn’t with them because he didn’t have time to play to gain experience.