French international defender, William Saliba has committed his future to Arsenal with a new long term contract. The 22-year-old played a vital part in Arsenal’s title charge, making 33 appearances in all competitions. However it hasn’t always been easy for the Frenchman, who went on several loans before earning the trust of Mikel Arteta.
In the summer of 2019 it had emerged that manager, Unai Emery, was keen to sign French wonder kid, William Saliba. After fighting off competition from fierce rivals Tottenham, Arsenal sealed the signing of Saliba from Saint-Etienne in July 2019 for a fee in the region of £27m. He then returned to Saint-Etienne on a season long loan, in which the centre-back continued his flawless legacy he had built at the club. He came back to a new Arsenal, with the manager who had actually signed him now gone and a newly appointed Mikel Arteta as his new boss.
Despite lots of hope from Arsenal fans over the possible integration of William Saliba within Arteta’s FA Cup winning squad, fans were left disappointed with how much gametime the youngster was receiving. In the second half of the season William went on a short term loan to Nice, in which he featured 22 times and netted his first goal in senior football. Whilst on loan, the Frenchman was questioned by several journalists about his stance on his situation at Arsenal. Reacting to the questions, Saliba stated, “Arteta judged me on two and a half matches. I would have liked for him to play me more. But he told me I wasn’t ready. I was waiting for him to give me a chance”. The comments of William Saliba undoubtedly added extra pressure on Mikel Arteta’s struggling Arsenal team who were sat 8th at the time, raising the question over whether the presence of Saliba was missed and perhaps sending him on loan was turning out to be another poorly calculated mistake by Arteta.
Unfortunately for Saliba, the set-backs didn’t get much easier. The defender was sent on loan to France again for the 2021/22 season, this time to Marseille where he shone brightly. He featured a grand total of 52 times, developing into a crucial figure within the Marseille squad. As a result of Saliba’s performances, a fellow Frenchman, Thierry Henry expressed his anger over Arsenal’s treatment of the centre-back saying, “They didn’t even let him make a mistake. He didn’t even have the chance to compete for his place. What he is doing here is extraordinary”. Arsenal fans also shared the same fears as Henry, with many worrying that the player could possibly leave and that the club would never get a fair return on the pitch for the £27m the gunners paid in 2019.
However, this season, Arteta showed massive faith in William Saliba’s ability. Playing him in 32 games across the season, with the 22 year old becoming an integral part of the gunner’s title charge. The Frenchman’s importance was emphasised upon his unfortunate injury, in which Arsenal experienced a considerable drop off in form, letting in a lot more goals. Saliba’s talent has finally been rewarded with a new contract, and a new shirt number, the number 2! It is clear William Saliba will be a key part of the future at The Emirates with Sporting Director Edy saying “William is a part of our vision to keep talented young players, who will hopefully be successful with us for many years to come”. Although taking a considerable amount of time, the defender has also earned the respect of his manager Mikel Arteta who expressed his adoration for Saliba by stating “We’re looking forward to continuing to work with William in the years to come”. Despite long periods of adversity and uncertainty, William Saliba has undoubtedly solidified himself in that Arsenal team. Upon reflecting on this it appears the player looks back with gratitude saying in his announcement video he knows it was the best plan for him and that he “became a man” in North London. Now a fan favourite, im sure many Arsenal fans will be very excited to see Saliba play for the gunners in coming years.