Arsenal couldn’t imagine life without William Saliba now, but there was a time when the Frenchman wasn’t needed at the Emirates.
Though the Gunners signed the Frenchman in 2019, his Arsenal career didn’t take off until 2022.
Before that, Mikel Arteta was frustrated that he couldn’t get rid of Saliba on loan, as his squad was packed with central defensive talent that, at the time, was believed to be ahead of the ex-Saint-Etienne star.
It’s funny how things work out, but at that time, it wasn’t humorous for the player, who was sent out on a series of loan spells, not knowing whether he’d have a future at Arsenal.
William Saliba had some doubts in his early years at Arsenal
Upon signing for the Gunners, Saliba returned to Saint-Etienne on loan, then spent two further seasons in France, representing OGC Nice and Marseille.
Laurent Koscielny was shocked that Saliba endured as many loans as he did, which is a feeling the man himself also felt.
In a conversation with Arsenal’s official podcast, The Dispatch, Saliba admitted that he had some doubts about whether he’d have a career in N5 after successive loans.
“I had some doubts, because when you go on loan two, three times, you think maybe, yeah, it’s not here that I will play.”
Though the Frenchman was transparent about his early concerns, he maintained that developing away from the club was ultimately beneficial.
“But it’s like this, football, you have some doubts sometimes, but you have to make sure you forget your doubt and you move forward. And this is what I did. And I went on loan, I keep going to improve.”
Since his breakthrough at Arsenal, Saliba has become one of the best in the Premier League alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, an outcome that is a credit to his perseverance in those uncertain years.
“So you have to adapt because you will have some moments where things won’t go how you want,” Saliba explained.
“Of course, you have to be strong mentally to be prepared for anything, and it was a bit hard because I arrived from France six months after I came back to France. Then I changed one club. Then I came back here.”
Just before his breakthrough, former Gunner Matteo Guendouzi tried to convince Saliba to leave Arsenal, something the centre-back declined, and he hasn’t looked back since.
Only one thing is missing for Saliba at Arsenal
Despite the early struggles, Arsenal were the only club for Saliba, who penned a new deal with the Gunners to ward off interest from Real Madrid.
Though he’s now the poster boy of the club he supported as a child, and is a part of Arteta’s silverware-hungry project, something is missing for the defender.
Upon putting pen to paper on his new contract, Saliba admitted he’s not 100% happy at Arsenal, as what is missing is trophies.
Fortunately, it’s something that the 24-year-old is committed to achieving at the Emirates.
“I’m happy now, but not 100% happy because we have to do more, we have to win titles, because it’s what we want, what the club wants.”
It’s been quite the journey for Saliba at Arsenal, leading the Frenchman to be right where he is supposed to be.
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