William Saliba has grown to become one of Arsenal’s key players, but there was a time when he could’ve been a Tottenham player instead.
The Gunners battled it out with their North London rivals to secure a deal for the Frenchman, who joined the club in 2019 from Saint-Etienne.
Arsenal paid £27million to sign William Saliba, only to send him back on loan to his former club for the rest of the season.
While it was a hefty investment at the time, many had questions over whether the centre-back would feature at the Emirates Stadium.
After several other loan spells, Mikel Arteta trusted in Saliba and gave him the start he deserved and he hasn’t looked back since.
It could’ve been very different had he picked Tottenham as his new club instead, with his decision now proving to be the right one.
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Why William Saliba rejected Tottenham to pick Arsenal transfer
According to Sky Sports, William Saliba was being monitored heavily by Tottenham in the 2019 transfer window.
They missed out to Arsenal though, with the Gunners having the last laugh with the deal as the Frenchman continues to impress.
The defender revealed at the time to the official club website that he chose the side over others due to the history.
He said back in 2019: “The history, the badge… since I was little, I’ve been watching Arsenal play in the Champions League and so on, and there are a lot of French players who have come through here.
“So that really helped me to make my mind up.”
With a rich trophy history and plenty of top stars throughout the years, it’s no surprise that Arsenal was the ultimate choice for Saliba.
His arrival into the first team has taken the side to that next level in terms of Premier League and Champions League contention.
Now, they will need him to get that next step further to keep him at the Emirates Stadium for even longer.
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Arsenal need William Saliba to reject Real Madrid interest next
While it’s been an impressive few years for Saliba since he made the switch to Arsenal, there are doubts over his future yet again.
Real Madrid are monitoring a transfer for Saliba, which could see him make a switch to the Bernabeu in the years ahead.
With just two years remaining on the centre-back’s contract, it’s up to the Gunners to open up talks once again.
Arsenal want Saliba to sign a new contract, though he would be effectively rejecting Real Madrid with that decision.
It remains to be seen whether he will do that, but it’s a big decision for the 23-year-old to make.
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