Does Saliba’s Ligue 1 award put pressure on Arteta’s decision?

William Saliba has been named the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year for his impressive campaign on loan with Marseille, but will that affect his Arsenal future?

The defender has been a constant talking point for Gunners’ fans, with the vast majority craving to see him get his chance in our first-team, but he remains awaiting his senior debut for the club.

Despite joining in the summer of 2019, he has spent two-and-a-half years out on loan with three different sides during that time, and some have even criticised our dealing of the youngster.

This season he has really come into his own with Marseille however, helping the French side to qualify for the Champions League after helping them to finish third in the division, and he has now been awarded with the prestigious Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year Award also.

Saliba’s intentions have always seemed geared towards regular playing time, and this award will surely only confirm to him that he is deserving of playing a key role in a top side next season. This will surely force Mikel Arteta to guarantee him first-team football or allow him to leave once again, possibly even on a more permanent deal this time around.

There has to come a point where the centre-back will ask himself ‘will I ever get the chance I’m looking for here?’. Should we finish in the CL places this term, that could well open the door for us to be able to guarantee him a decent level of top-level action however, and that could well be a major factor in where he plays his football next term.

Do you feel like we will end up losing Saliba if we continue to snub his want of a first-team role in north London? Do you believe he could force his way ahead of one of Gabriel or Ben White in the heart of our defence?

Patrick

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20 Comments

  1. It has obviously been very good for Saliba to be loaned out. Good decision to do it. Now we have a choice; cash in or use him. I am happy to let the manager decide.

  2. I am of the opinion that we should make utmost usage of Saliba’s incredible talent. His figures and statistics are so impressive they earned him a France call up inspite of their being so many talented French defenders. Not only should he start regularly, a partnership with Gabriel would make our defence formidable, but also Arsenal should give him a contract extension. He is one for the future.

  3. IMO this is exactly what you want to happen as a coach with a player you have loaned out.

    You want them to –

    1 – have minutes
    2 – Progress
    3 – enjoy the time
    4 – be successful
    5 – Grow up

    I feel he has done all of those things
    lets not forget, he has had a rough time with losing his mother, moving to a new country etc etc, that can be an awful lot to endure for someone so young – the club made the right decision and they chose a great club for him to go to and grow .

  4. Just yesterday an article said , Arsenal is ready to offload emery flop.
    Today, it’s how Arteta deserves the credit of what Saliba has just achieved.
    Unbelievable..
    I have never seen a manager get credit for a player he didn’t developed.
    The likes of Mourinho get blamed for players likes Salah and de bruyne.
    Even pep got criticized for the way Sancho was handled..

    1. Hey what’re talking about? When you hear of Emery’s flop, know it that such article is referring to Pepe cos the last time I checked, that’s the Emery flop I heared being discussed of how to let him go

    2. Never seen a manager get credit for a player he never developed ? Most managers get credit for the job that youth team coaches do when those players make it into the 1st team and go on to become stars. Especially the youth team coaches who turned Ashley Cole from a left winger into a left fullback.

      1. How about we start giving players parents as well for birthing these players. If there’s anything they deserve it more than anyone.
        Ironically, you couldn’t name the so called managers or coaches.
        But again you just proved my point, meaning both past and the present manager added something to the so called players development. You can tell me leaving a player out of your squad for two years consecutively is the way you are developing the player.
        Why did majority football fans blamed the likes of Jos and pep then??
        Yeah maybe the youth coaches don’t usually get accolades, but again the managers does cause they contributed to the development.

        1. What has knowing the names of the youth team coaches got to do with anything 🤔.

          Managers get the credit for selecting the players that the youth team coaches have produced if that player goes on to make a name for himself.

          1. There are more than 100 Managers of such name 5 of them.
            Even at that, how does that equal to someone getting praised for not developing a player.
            Going by your statement, you are saying youth coaches don’t get credit for developing a player which I agree with you, but I am here talking about who doesn’t develop players and get praise for it instead..

    3. Based on other players getting guaranteed time (Xhaka, Ramsdale, Gabriel, White, Tierney, Tomi, Saka, Odegaard apparently) I don’t see why guaranteeing Saliba playing time is a big deal.

      White/Gabriel combo hasn’t exactly pulled up trees, and has conceded more goals than the Bellerin, Leno, Luiz, backline. So not sure why a guarantee for Saliba is an issue when it clearly is not for nearly 8 other players in the squad.

      I’m sure the new striker this Summer will expect guarantees to play and start, so why an issue with Saliba? Think he has more than proved himself away on loan, and his stats in the French League back that up.

      Then again, he is not English, cost 50 million, and a favorite of the manager. Too bad Brighton collapsed after White left, not sure how they can recover from losing a CB like White.

  5. So according to your statement, when a player flop, it’s emery signing even though he never wanted the said player.
    But when another player signed by the same manager is being given opportunity else where and he proved his worth there, then we should praise the current manager who never gave him a debut in two years..
    I am not surprised, many have already said lokonga and Tavares to be edu signing alone and everyone knows why.

    1. I’ll make a quick point.
      How many have credited Arteta for Saliba’s development, but said nothing about Marseilles Manager Jorge Sampaoli?

      Jorge Sampaoli deserves a ton of credit for Saliba’s development, yet he is not spoken about in the comments I have read.

      Just saying credit should go where credit is deserved. Sending a player on loan and then taking credit is like giving a referral to a doctor and then taking credit for the successful surgery.

      Then again, how often do you see anyone credit Freddie for developing Saka and ESR, even after they both have said as much about Freddie?

      I’ve seen debates about Emery or Arteta for Saka and ESR, but never an argument for Freddie.

  6. Our arrogant Mr know it all coach said he wasn’t good enough to even be part of our first team 😏 how does a coach treat a young player like that the club spent 27m on? He shot the boys confidence to pieces when he decided not to even register him for the europa league and making him rot in the reserves for a whole season.
    I know for sure Saliba feels unwanted by Arteta …I mean I would too because Arteta could have at least registered him in the europa league to help integrate him into the club but that first season but he didn’t…instead he was banished and asked to train with the under 21s and rotting in the reserves all season, that’s clearly a manager who isn’t interested in a player he didn’t sign him…players like Tavares are deemed ready but Saliba apparently wasn’t ready after one or two training sessions lol laughable
    Pretty sure even if he comes back he won’t be comfortable around Arteta… he’ll probably push for a move away

  7. Anyone that expects MA to get it right all the time is simply saying they want a supreme being managing the club. MA has his failings like all of us we have to wait and see if he has learnt from them. Let’s also not forget that any decision taken in the club is not taken by one person alone. I will not give MA all the praise for what the team has achieved as I will not give him all the flacks for our misses. Every team make mistakes, every manager make mistakes how to remedy the mistakes is the sign of a great manager/person. Arsenal has a big decision to make concerning Saliva.

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