William Saliba officially concluded his two-year loan spell at AS Saint-Etienne and will return to Arsenal next season. Though the ending was not exactly a smooth one, the 19-year-old player hopes he has mustered enough experience to appease Gunners coach Mikel Arteta.
Saliba was acquired by the Gunners in 2019 but played the last two seasons with Saint-Etienne. In those two years, the French player played a key role for Claude Puel. A fitting exit would have been to play in the Ligue 1 final match against Paris Saint-Germain. Unfortunately, he was barred from playing since his contract had run out.
PSG won the French Cup, 2-1, over Les Verts, and all Saliba could do was watch from the sidelines. It was a game he had wanted to play in.
"I couldn’t miss this. As I am not able to play, I want to at least feel this final as much as possible, by supporting my team in the stadium," Saliba said via L'Equipe.
Saliba revealed that both Saint Etienne and Arsenal were in talks to possibly let him play. Unfortunately, talks failed to gain any ground.
"The two clubs did everything for me to play. But they did not reach an agreement. I was very disappointed," Saliba said.
With that issue now done and over with, Saliba focuses on chasing his dream. He says he has had a crush playing for the Gunners. Now, that time has come, but he needs to show Arteta that his ready for the big jump. He knows that several French players have been there. Now, Saliba hopes to join their ranks.
“I fell for Arsenal from the start,” Saliba said. “A number of French players have been there."
With the struggles that Arsenal has endured this season, Saliba is in a prime position to prove to Arteta that he is one of the promising young starts the Gunners will need. He has shown the talent to do so although he needs to push himself further. The Premier League jump is entirely different, meaning he will need all the help he can get. It all starts by adapting to the Gunners' system and listening carefully to the guidance of Arteta.
One thing that Saliba needs to overcome is his past injuries. It was part of his struggles this season. He is now training at London Colney, getting the needed attention from the Gunners as he preps for his debut next season.
