William Saliba had to wait for his time to shine at Arsenal after being signed by Unai Emery in 2019.
Saliba was just 18 when Emery made the decision to acquire him from Saint-Etienne, loaning the defender immediately back to the club.
The Frenchman never got the chance to play under Emery, as Saliba had to wait a further three years to make his Arsenal debut.
Mikel Arteta was the manager to hand the centre-back his senior debut for the Gunners, with the 2022/23 campaign the France international’s first in the Premier League.
How long it took William Saliba to win over Mikel Arteta
After his transfer to Arsenal was confirmed, the defender went on loan to Saint-Etienne, then OGC Nice and finally Marseille.
In the summer of 2022, the decision was made for the Bondy-born ace to remain in North London, a call made very promptly by Arteta.
The Arsenal manager commented on the process when speaking to Amazon Prime Video in 2023, asked when he realised it was time for Saliba to make a name for himself at the Emirates.
“Well, I didn’t [know] until the day I watched him back and then I saw [that] he’s 100% staying.”
Arteta went on to admit that it took no longer than ten minutes for him to decide Saliba’s future.
“There was zero doubt and sometimes you have that feeling in your tummy and the decision is done in ten minutes. Probably that’s what it took me to say he’s ready to go.”
Looking back, there’s no surprise that Arteta’s call didn’t take long to make, as Saliba is one of the best in the Premier League at what he does.
Saliba’s made the most of his loan spells
A lot of the success has come from Saliba’s partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes.
The duo actually crossed paths in France, when Gabriel played for LOSC Lille before he signed for Arsenal.
Being four years older than Saliba, Gabriel was a household name at Arsenal by the time the Frenchman joined him but, he had to wait his turn.
It’s no surprise that Saliba settled in at Arsenal when he did, considering the level the now 23-year-old was performing at, being a star at each of the loan clubs he represented.
Emery signed the player and Arteta raised him to be the superstar he is today in the Premier League, in what was a perfect outcome from a prolonged rise at the Emirates.
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