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