Arsenal announced last night that William Saliba will spend the remainder of the season on loan at Ligue 1 side OGC Nice.
The young Frenchman was signed by Unai Emery for £27 million (Goal) in the summer of 2019 but he was immediately loaned back to Saint-Etienne.
He made his way to Arsenal at the start of this season and many felt he would play a big part in the first-team.
However, things haven’t quite gone to plan for Saliba. The 19-year-old is yet to feature in Mikel Arteta’s side.
The Gunners boss believes that the young French defender isn’t quite ready for the first-team, and his move away on loan is a consequence of that.
Arteta’s treatment of Saliba has attracted a ton of criticism from fans, pundits and the media. Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana is the latest to mock the Arsenal boss. He reacted to the news about Saliba’s loan on Instagram with the message ‘he’s finally free’.
Fofana beat Saliba’s record of being the Saint-Etienne’s most expensive sale after Leicester City forked out £30 million last summer. (Goal)
The youngster has become a key part of the Foxes squad and has been brilliant, but sadly, his former teammate can’t get anywhere near Arsenal’s XI.
Saliba’s loan spell at Nice will definitely make him better. The youngster needs minutes at the top level and a good few months in France could convince Arteta to give him more chances next season.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
