There has been much made of the fact that Mikel Arteta did not give William Saliba a chance to play for the Arsenal first team and immediately sent him back to France on loan for two more years before bringing him back to the Emirates.
The problem now is that Saliba will only have one year left on his contract at the end of this season, and there has been much speculation that the 21 year old would show his displeasure with the club by refusing to sign an extension. It doesn’t help that he was loving playing at Marseille where he was worshipped as a local hero, and neither does the rumours that Barcelona were very keen on trying to prise him off Arsenal this summer.
But now Saliba has had a long candid interview on Arsenal.com talking about his life, and it has completely persuaded me that he is a Gooner through and through, and will welcome a new contract with open arms.
He said this about growing up as an avid Arsenal fan in the Paris suburb of Bondy: “When I was growing up I watched all the Champions League games. I couldn’t watch the other games because we didn’t have all the channels, but that was the first time I watched Arsenal, in the Champions League. Then I had an Arsenal shirt when I was about seven or eight years old. I loved watching Arsenal.
“I had Henry on the back – he was the one I looked up to the most. I loved watching him. Arsene Wenger was the manager, so there were a lot of French connections with Arsenal. I remember watching the big Champions League games, against Barcelona I remember, but the other games too.”
So it must have been amazing that Arsenal came in to buy him at a very early age, and he reveals how happy he was that his dream had come true. “This is a special club,” he says. “You know that when Arsenal is interested in you, you are going to be very happy. There was no decision to make – you don’t need to make a reflection – it was an easy choice. As soon as I knew Arsenal wanted me, I wanted to come here.”
So it must have been hard for him to accept being sent away on loan straight away, but despite all the rumours of his wish to stay in France, it appears he was thinking the complete opposite. “When I was on loan it helped motivate me every day knowing that Arsenal were watching me, were in touch with me, and that soon I would be back here,”
“My objective was always to come back and play here, so I knew I had to fight and work a lot while I was away from the club if I wanted to come back.
“Somebody from the club was in touch with me every week, giving me advice, encouraging me and I knew they were supporting me, even though I was in France.
“Also having the love of the fans behind me while I was on loan was very special for me and helped me a lot. I saw some of it on social media of course, and it made it easier for me to play. I want to give the fans something back now, to thank them for their support.”
And the final proof, for me, that Saliba will definitely sign a new contract was in his closing lines…..
“Yes, now I want to win everything,” he stated. “I want to help the club to come back to the very top. I will give everything for this club to help us get back there.
“It has been hard for me as well at times at Arsenal, not playing all the time, but sometimes sport is like this. You don’t only have good moments – it’s part of life. That’s all in the past. Now I’m just focused on the present and on the future. I want to do my best for Arsenal and keep improving and working hard every day.”
so my conclusion from that is that we can expect an announcement on his new contract in the very near future.
What do you think?
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He could say anything to appease us, but I bet he won’t sign if Real Madrid or Barcelona tap into him. Man City, Man United, Newcastle, Chelsea, Bayern Muenchen or PSG could also offer him a huge salary, so we’d most likely need to offer more
He will sign i bet….Barça has choosen Kounde instead As for Chalsea and Man U Arsenal are now going toe to toe with them….
I really hope we can keep him for another five years, because he is very talented and has got four years of experience as a main CB at three clubs
Arsenal have an option in his contract to sign him on for a further year (which they will) so he will have 2 years left at the end of this season. No need to panic yet.
Nice, I didn’t know about that. Arsenal had better tie him up after World Cup
Do u think everything thing is about money,not every player is desperate for money
So true, gotanidea. Will believe when it’s on the dotted line. This kid has been noticed and all the big clubs need his type of player.
I would qibblew with ONLY one key woord in his hedlibe and in thr article itself It asks what PROOF do w need . I woulf use the phrase “strong indication” instead of proof and a strong indication is all this article gives us.
For actual PROOF, the plain and obvious answer is SALIBAS signature on a new contract!
You see how words when misused, often deliberately misused, can paint a false or at least an INCOMPLETE picture.
Aha, the grammar police are back today. Are you a professional pedant? Or is it just a full time hobby?
Are you after the grammar or d fact that he is against d article u posted.
@Savage
What on Earth are you on about?
You obviously know nothing about English grammar so butt out respectfully…
No he doesnt PAT. And YOU don’t care about it!
👍😁
He is quickly becoming our best CB. His composure, recovery pace, strength, and decision making is far better than I thought it would be in the PL.
He is the envy of many top clubs, and I take comfort after reading his latest interview.
He can be a cornerstone for the next decade in our defense. His extension is a top priority, and I’m sure the club is trying to lock him in as soon as possible.
PROOF will be when he signs!!!!!!
It seems we are becoming a grown up team very quickly.
Saliba, Martinelli and Saka we hear are all being offered new contracts.
We hear they are all very close to signing, or have an agreement in principle.
I mentioned several weeks ago that Saka was going to hang on until after the World cup, probably to see what other offers there are out there.
I would guess that Saliba and Martinelli might take a similar path.
Saka and Saliba should both be going to Qatar, and Martinelli might go too. Their performances there may have a huge affect on the size of these new contracts!!!
I hope they all sign new Arsenal contracts, but I am cynical enough to have doubts!