Arsenal’s William Saliba has just returned to Ligue 1 to join up with Nice on loan until the end of the season, but reports are claiming that could be extended until the summer of 2022.
The 19 year-old agreed a deal to sign for the Gunners in the summer of 2019, which included spending the initial campaign on loan with former side St Etienne.
Saliba was later hampered by an injury, before French football was cut-short following the Coronavirus pandemic, and he ended up picking up just 12 Ligue 1 appearances in that campaign.
There had been huge expectations on his arrival in North London, with calls for him to play a huge role in our first-team, but the reality couldn’t have been any further from that. The youngster failed to convince manager Mikel Arteta to name him for his Europa League or Premier League squads for the current season, and he has now left on loan without making a single senior squad this term.
Saliba completed a medical to join Nice on loan until the end of the season yesterday, but reports by L’Equipe (via InsideFutbol)claim that that deal could be extended by a further 12 months.
Do Arsenal fans need to lower their expectations on the youngster?
Patrick