Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s reported desire to sign Brighton star Ben White has raised concerns over the future of William Saliba at the Emirates.
The Athletic revealed earlier this month that the Englishman, who was a real star for the Seagulls last season, is a target for Arsenal. It was claimed that Edu hadn’t yet entered negotiations to sign White, but it is expected to happen momentarily.
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White would undoubtedly be an excellent signing for Arsenal. The 23-year-old was outstanding on loan at Leeds in the 2019/20 season and he has become even better now. Although he’s naturally a centre-half, he can play at right-back and defensive midfield, which is probably why Arteta’s so keen.
However, what does this mean for William Saliba, who Arsenal fans are desperate to see in action next season.
Ben White signing will not impact William Saliba
The Express have revealed that Saliba will be given a fair crack at nailing down a first-team spot. White’s arrival will reportedly not have any impact on the Frenchman’s future, who is due to report for pre-season soon.
Saliba had a really impressive few months on loan at Nice. He was arguably their best player during his time there, and he really does deserve a chance at Arsenal under Arteta.
However, things aren’t looking great for him.
Apart from Saliba, Arsenal have Rob Holding, Gabriel Magalhaes, Pablo Mari and Calum Chambers as central defensive options. Dinos Mavropanos will also come back, which makes it six centre-halves for Arteta to choose from.
White’s arrival will make it seven and that’s way too many for next season as we’ll not be in Europe. For Arsenal to have Saliba and the Brighton man in the same squad, at least two others will have to leave, which looks very unlikely at this point.
However, if Saliba shows up and blows Arteta away in pre-season in a few weeks time, the Arsenal boss will have no choice but to find a way to accommodate him in his squad.
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