Saliba left Arsenal to join Olympique Marseille on loan last season, joining wantaway Matteo Guendouzi at the French club
By Kehinde Okeowo
French defender, William Saliba, joined Arsenal in 2019 but his career at the Emirates has been a non-starter, as he has not been found worthy of a place in the first team by the club.
The arrival of Mikel Arteta from Manchester City further inhibited his breaking into the senior set up, when the Spaniard decided rather quickly, that Saliba wasn’t ready.
The Frenchman had earlier played six months of youth football when mistakes were made in the summer of 2020 leading to the failure to secure a loan move he needed so badly.
According to football.london, this mixup left Saliba feeling detached and unwanted, and his interviews when on loan with Nice showed his frustration.
He later joined French outfit, Olympique Marseille on loan last season and played alongside wantaway Matteo Guendouzi, but Arsenal fans were convinced he would sign a new contract upon his return.
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Though the 20-year-old still has about 2 years left in his contract, reports from England suggest he is not in a haste to extend his contract with the North London club given his unpleasant experiences.
However, the latest information reveals the situation has drastically changed. According to Sports journalist, Freddie Paxton, William Saliba held positive talks with the club prior to the US tour and has agreed to sign a contract extension.
Mikel Arteta was upbeat when he spoke about the player’s future and a potential new deal after the 3-1 win over Orlando.
He said, “We always have a plan and when we have to execute it, that’s a different story and football is a really funny game and we are really happy to have him and you can see the way he’s adapted,”
“The way he’s matured and he’s playing well, and we are delighted to have him,” Arteta added.
Should the Frenchman extend his contract with the club, it would be a huge win for the manager and a show of confidence in him by a player who looked incredibly disillusioned with the Gunners for so long.
Meanwhile, Oleksandr Zinchenko was seen sitting in the stands with Edu during the game against Orlando shortly before his signing was made official.
He became the second Man City player the Gunners signed this summer after the club secured the services of Gabriel Jesus.