Top-four rivals make Arsenal youngster a transfer priority

West Ham are claimed to have made William Saliba a priority for the summer transfer window, when he is expected to return to Arsenal after his loan spell in Marseille.

The defender signed his contract with the Gunners in the summer of 2019, but is yet to make his senior debut for the club. Last summer we expected him to get his chance to prove himself but we opted to splash out on the signing of Ben White instead, allowing Saliba to continue his progress with another loan in France, and he has appeared to make great strides once again.

With question marks over his role in north London after he completes his loan, West Ham are now claimed by Jeunes Footeux to have made him a priority, but they could well face uproar from the Arsenal fans if our club doesn’t give the young centre-back his chance at the Emirates.

We’ve been yearning to see him given his chance since he was signed by the club, but with Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes forming a formidable partnership this term, there is a potential block in the Frenchman’s pathway into the first-team.

It is hard to complain when our defence is appearing so strong, but there is always the chance for improvement, and Saliba likely has the higher ceiling of all of our defenders, and allowing him to leave on a permanent deal is one we are sure to regret in the coming years. Selling to the Hammers would have to be an even bigger no-no, especially with them currently in contention for fourth spot this term, and we should be avoiding strengthening any of our rivals as we look to continue our climb back up the table.

Patrick

Tags West Ham William Saliba

8 Comments

  1. I also read that Real Madrid and both the Milan clubs are interested in him. If this is true and I suspect,that as there seems to be a dearth of young, high potential centre backs in Europe, it might be, we are in trouble. From what I have seen reported Saliba is not entirely convinced about his prospects at Arsenal. Of course if asks to leave then, perhaps for once, we could get a decent return on our money. I hope not because going on his performances in the French League, in the long run he well might be better than White.

  2. If RM and the Milan clubs can see something in Saliba that makes them want him then I wonder what Arteta sees that he doesn’t like. I will be absolutely gutted if we don’t even give him a chance next season. Although the way he’s been treated by Arteta I wouldn’t blame him if he wants to leave and go where he is appreciated.

    1. I’m getting encouragement from the fact that:
      He may well have not been ready at the beginning of this season but will be ready for August 2022
      And
      How do you or I know what goes on between the player, his loan club and our club to believe gossip?

  3. Him remaining at Arsenal is what is best for the club, that is the bottom line. Josh or someone needs to step up and make that clear to both the player and Staff.

    That being said, I expect Saliba to return and be incorporated into the squad. However, it needs to be made clear that his investment was for the club’s future, and he should be given every opportunity to succeed.

    White had a miserable start to the season, several games ball watching and getting exposed on set pieces, yet was trusted to play through the mistakes.

    Xhaka gets his red cards overlooked, and even his comments about “not changing his play” have not ruffled feathers, so hopefully the same considerations extended to Saliba. Even Willian had a trashy year last year, yet Arteta never quit selecting him.

    Saliba has shown enough quality to compete for a starting CB spot, and hopefully will get a fair chance to prove his growth and development.

  4. My only concern is that, Arteta might not use Saliba over White and not because he didn’t like him or because there is rift between them but because he might want to prove a point that is signing is better than Saliba. Do you think Arsenal fan will take it lightly if Saliba continue to bench $50M White?
    It will make Arteta looks like a fool.

    And on the 2nd taught, maybe not buying a DM and signing another CB means White moving down to DM with Holding and Trusty as back-up for CB.

    Let see how it goes

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