Transfer Centre

William Saliba confirms desire to stay at Arsenal

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 05 June 2022

William Saliba ends speculation surrounding his future by confirming that he wants to stay at Arsenal and prove himself in pre-season.

Arsenal centre-back William Saliba has confirmed his desire to stay at the club and attempt to break into the first team in pre-season.

The 21-year-old is still waiting for his first senior appearance for the North London club after arriving in a £27m deal from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2019.

Saliba has been sent out on loan to Les Verts, Marseille and Nice in that time, while only making the bench for Mikel Arteta's side and playing eight times for the Under-23 team.

The France international's future has understandably been called into question amid his struggles in North London, with Marseille publicly announcing their desire to sign him permanently and Saliba hinting that such a move could be on the cards.

However, the Frenchman has seemingly ended speculation over his future by announcing that he will return to the Emirates, where he is under contract for another two years.

William Saliba in action for Marseille in October 2021 © Reuters

"I belong to Arsenal, I still have two years left. I will be back with Arsenal," Saliba told Telefoot. "I have played zero matches and I still want to show them my true face and have the chance to play for these fans and this great club.

Reflecting on his time at Marseille, Saliba added: "A word to describe my season? Surprising, or magical. It's my first full season, I wanted to show who I am. It's a really positive assessment and I'm happy with my season.

"It's as if I stayed for at least 2-3 years, it's really special. Even if I don't come back to Marseille, I'll never forget. Thanks to OM, I spent a great course in my career, and it was them who boosted me."

Saliba was voted the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for his exploits with Marseille in 2021-22, as he helped Jorge Sampaoli's side return to the Champions League with a second-placed finish.

The 6ft 3in defender started 36 top-flight games and made a total of 52 appearances for Les Olympiens last term, after which Arsenal manager Arteta insisted that Saliba "had to come back" to the English capital.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta celebrates on May 8, 2022 © Reuters

Speaking to RMC Sport last month, the Gunners boss said: "We made the right decision. He has to come back. William wanted to be a regular starter as you know but now we want him back at Arsenal.

"He has the experience and the environment necessary to be competitive with us. If he had stayed with us this year, with a match of Premier League a week, with Ben White and Gabriel, he wouldn't have had half the playing time he had with Marseille, that's for sure.

"For his growth and what he can do next season that wouldn't have been good. William wasn't with us because he wouldn't have had the playing time to gain experience. That's it, there's nothing else."

Arsenal are reportedly planning an offer to extend Saliba's contract following the centre-back's strong campaign in his homeland, which has seen him earn three caps for the senior France side.

Saliba and France continue their UEFA Nations League campaign against Croatia on Monday night after the Arsenal man played 29 minutes of Friday's opening defeat to Denmark - replacing the injured Raphael Varane.