William Saliba has confirmed his return to Arsenal following a successful loan spell at Olympique de Marseille.
William Saliba has been the talk of the town at the Emirates in recent weeks following an impressive loan spell at Olympique de Marseille. The Arsenal defender, after being ostracised by Mikel Arteta, had joined the Ligue 1 club on a year-long loan deal last summer, in order to gain more minutes at the highest level.
Coming on the back of a slightly disappointing spell at OGC Nice, expectations were not sky-high. But under the tutelage of Jorge Sampaoli, Saliba has turned out to be a major success at OM, helping the club finish second in Ligue 1 and secure Champions League football.
But despite his impressive loan spell, there has been some major controversy surrounding his return to the Emirates at the end of the season, with the defender predictably having resentment towards parent club Arsenal for not handing him even a single competitive appearance since joining the club.
However, in a recent interview with Telefoot, Saliba has confirmed he will be returned to the Emirates in the summer and fight for his place in the Arsenal first team next season.
William Saliba tells Telefoot on his future: “I belong to Arsenal, I still have two years left. I will be back with Arsenal”. ⚪️? #AFC
“I have played zero matches and I still want to show them that I can play for these fans and this great club”, he added to @JulienMaynard. pic.twitter.com/GFxRuEQvxc
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 5, 2022
“I belong to Arsenal, and I still have two years there. I will be there for pre-season with Arsenal,” Saliba has told Telefoot.
“I have played zero matches with Arsenal and I want to show them what I’m made of and have the chance to play for the supporters and for this big club. That depends only on me. In any case, leaving (Arsenal) like that would be a shame,” the defender added.
Saliba’s return to the Emirates could serve as a massive boost for Mikel Arteta. The Arsenal manager was looking for a reliable competitor for the first-choice defensive duo of Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes. While Rob Holding is at Arteta’s disposal, the presence of Saliba could further solidify Arsenal’s defensive unit ahead of the new season.
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The Frenchman himself has a point to prove after being snubbed twice by Arteta. With just a few months remaining until the start of the new season, the Arsenal centre-back will be hoping to make a solid impression and finally earn his breakthrough in the Premier League.
