Arsenal loanee William Saliba has claimed that he could be returning to Marseille after his loan spell ends this summer.
The defender has spent 30 months of his three years since joining the Gunners out on loan elsewhere, and he continues to wait for his senior debut for the club.
He has enjoyed playing as a key player for all of St Etienne, Nice and Marseille during his loans however, and many Arsenal fans are crying out for him to get his chance at the Emirates also.
With Gabriel Magalhaes and Ben White forming a strong partnership this season, his chances of displacing either of those at the head of the selection appears unlikely however, although a possible return to the Champions League would increase the need for rotation which could give us the ideal timing to bring him into the playing squad, but he sounds as though he is open to returning to Marseille.
William Saliba tells Prime Video: “My wish is to finish the season well, to leave on a good note in case I don't come back”. @gffn 🇫🇷 #OM
“It would be my pleasure to come back no matter what, it's not as if I know I’m not going to come back, it's Marseille, it's my club”. #AFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 1, 2022
I really feel as though a return to the Champions League will finally secure his return to the Emirates to make his long-awaited senior debut, but Europa League football may not quite cut it. I’m not sure he would be happy to commit to playing as backup, or with being limited to cup competitions and the Europa League, especially after playing almost every minute for his current on-loan side in the French division, especially as he looks set to seal their place in the CL for next season also.
Personally, if we are to allow him to go out on another loan, a new contract should be signed first in order to protect our investment, but I’m hoping we are going to seal our place in the Champions League and that he will be happy to fight for his role at the Emirates next season.
Where do you see Saliba playing next season?
Patrick
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A partnership btw he and holding can rival that of gabriel and white,he should return no matter what.
@Fk
Both tall and agile, as well as can read the game well. Looking forward to seeing them taking over our defence…
Strongly agree, we should ensure he’s given a long term contract and allow his development continue to in France, if he’s not enthused with joining up right away.
To be fair I could understand him wanting to stay and enjoying first team football and representing his country,
Although I think he will be a marquee defender shortly, with regular first team football, he should not come back to us as a starter at the expense of our two marquee defenders.
By share empathy this should be a no brainer
Instead of pushing for moves away after good loan spells, Dean Henderson and Lingard chose to come back and “fight for their places” at Man Utd. See where it got them both. If Saliba will not be a starter, it’s better he leaves to where he’s valued and is already enjoying his football. Although that would be to our detriment as I wish he would stay and become a key player. He has a higher ceiling than Ben White. But career-wise, he should move on. I bet he won’t stay long at Marseille even if he’s sold to them cos a bigger club than Marseille will come for him in a few years. This is travesty
If the centre back pairing of Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes is as strong as many on here believe, it will be interesting to see how many offers Arsenal receives in the summer. As for William Saliba he should have no fears in competing for a place, unless he feels there are other factors at play other than ability and performance.
Gabriel isnt 100% happy at Arsenal.
@dgr8xt
RealTalk…
I think we should make a definite decision about Saliba at the end of the season. No more loans, we either have him back or sell him. My choice, I would have him back and get him integrated in our club.
History is littered with players, who have struggled to succeed outside their own environment. Maybe that is the case here. Who knows?