Arsenal’s William Saliba has a meeting scheduled with Edu and Mikel Arteta this week to discuss his future ahead of the January transfer window, according to a report from L’Equipe.
The young Frenchman was signed by Unai Emery in the summer of 2019 from Saint-Etienne. Saliba was immediately loaned back to his boyhood club for a whole year before making his move to the Emirates at the end of last season.
Arsenal fans were hoping for big things from the young defender this season. However, Arteta doesn’t think he is ready yet and Saliba has been forced to get game time with the academy side as a result.
Saliba is not a happy man as a result. He has gone from being one of the best defenders in Ligue 1 to a youth team player at Arsenal in the space of a few months. He wanted to get regular game time, but a loan move in the summer could not be completed.
Saliba will likely leave on loan next month
The teenager will try to leave on loan in January. Saint-Etienne are still keen to re-sign him until the end of this season. However, the report claims that the competition for his signature is fierce as clubs who are still in European competitions are in the race.
It is also claimed that a few Premier League clubs are interested in Saliba as well. The young defender feels a six-month spell with an English club will help him acclimatise with the physicality that this league demands from every player.
The report also claims that there is a very small chance that he stays with Arsenal. However, that will only happen if Arteta faces the sack in the coming weeks – which is highly unlikely.
Saliba and his agent will sit down with Arteta and Edu to discuss the next step in his career. A return to Saint-Etienne is the most likely option, but if an English club comes in with a guarantee of regular game time, Arsenal will likely go with that option.
Arsenal fans have come terms with the fact that the Frenchman will not play for us this term. All of us want him to be ready for next season. A partnership of Saliba and Gabriel is a mouthwatering prospect and that could well be the future of our club’s defence if it works out.
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