There has been a million column inches in the Arsenal media over the young Frenchman William Saliba, despite the fact that he has never kicked a ball for the senior Arsenal side after being bought for big money three years ago.
Even now, we still don’t know whether the centre-back will be returning to the Emirates in the summer as Marseille are desperate to keep Saliba with them on a permanent basis.
And now there is yet another possibility, with the Spanish Sport.es reporting that they are keen to take the 20 year-old to the Bernabeau.
The report stated….
Center back William Saliba is on Real Madrid’s agenda for next season. The young French player thus joins the list of alternatives managed by the club, along with the Germans Niklas Süle and Antonio Rüdiger, to reinforce his defense. His case is special, since he has a direct link with the great objective of the Madrid club, Kylian Mbappé.
Saliba already interested the Madrid club during his time at Saint-Étienne, before Arsenal paid 30 million euros in 2019 for his rights. With the ‘Gunners’ he barely had opportunities to play and returned to Ligue 1 on loan, first to play for Nice and since last summer at Olympique de Marseille, where he has regained his projection.
The link with Mbappe is interesting, as Madrid are making a big play for the young French striker to join the Galacticos in the summer, and it appears that Saliba and Mbappe went to the same school in a small town called Bondy in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, and in fact Mbappe’s father was Saliba’s coach in his schoolboy days. “He taught me everything, and if I’m here it’s thanks to him. As his father was my coach, I used to go to Kylian’s house,” Saliba admitted to the newspaper ‘Le Populaire’.
This could make things interesting for Arsenal in the summer. I know Arteta has always said that Saliba is a future Arsenal player, but who knows what could happen if a bidding war started for the youngster and there was a chance for the Gunners to make a huge profit on the sale?
Saliba himself has recently told the Mirror that he is simply going to wait until the end of the season to see what transpires. He said: “Before going to Arsenal, I said to myself I was going to play, I was sure, I was wondering who I would play alongside.
“I arrive, I play 0 matches. I played for the U23s. That gave me a good slap.
“Things go so fast in football. I don’t want to think about the future. I am going to give my all. Then there will be discussions in summer.”
It could be that Saliba himself may get the final say in where he will play next season, especially if Arsenal don’t qualify for the Champions League, with both Marseille and Madrid looking certain to be playing in the Premier competition…
Not a surprise to the fans that know he should’ve been at Arsenal this season already.
Very badly handled, like a few others. He will not be returning.
His loan spell has improved him a lot so we will benefit when he returns. He will be brought back and another assessment made even if it is just to raise his selling price by indicating to buying clubs we want to hold on to him. Might come down to which club has CL football next season. He is still only 20 and his contract with us is till 2024 so we have time and options. Just chill
Whatever happens I cannot see him coming back as long as Arteta is still in charge ,and especially with the article I read this week and his new interview he gave ,It didn’t sound to me like he’s looking forward to coming back here from what I took from it .
He isnt and how can anyone blame him. Disgraceful management of a young talent.
“Before going to Arsenal, I said to myself I was going to play, I was sure, I was wondering who I would play alongside.
“I arrive, I play 0 matches. I played for the U23s. That gave me a good slap.”
Trust fans to say the loan was a bad decision and he ain’t more matured because of it now.
The player himself just admitted it gave him a good jolt to step up, but what do I know…. Agenda must agend
No one said he won’t mature and get better on loan…we would have just preferred him to mature and get better at Arsenal 😊
And if after a year he, for whatever reason, isn’t cut out for EPL or playing under MA then he only has 1 year left on his contract and we’ll be in our normal predicament. I would’ve preferred him to be here already then if it doesn’t work out he has 2 years left on his contract before selling so more cash.
MA/Edu should actually already be preparing a new contract for him but I somehow doubt it.
Be interesting to see how this plays out in the Summer. Clearly one of the most talented young CB’s in world football.
Will the club stick to the “process” build a young team to push for trophies and glory
Or
Pivot to profit and choose finances and shore up the balance sheet?
In my opinion if Saliba stays, gets honest shot to compete for starts, then Josh Kronke has kept his word and “the process” continues.
If they sell Saliba, and replace with another CB, then we’ve been played as fans. The club is back to “good enough” and not looking to chase titles and glory.
Saliba can be a mainstay and perhaps a top class CB for the next decade. The Summer will show the intent of the club.
Fail achieving top 4, extend Arteta, sell Saliba, all this would reflect Arsenal over the last decade; not a new regime that Josh, Edu, and Arteta have been selling the last 2 years.
It is clear that so much has changed in the last year,” Saliba told RMC. “When I saw that the coach changed a lot changed for me too.
“He judged me on two-and-a-half matches. I would have liked for him to play me more but he told me I wasn’t ready.
“I was waiting for him to give me a chance, but football is like that. When I initially came to Arsenal the league looked very good so I showed up to training and wanted to train on my own to show the coach I was ready.
“I am happy now, I want to play for Nice. The idea when you’re part of a team is a better feeling for me.”
The only thing that I can tell you is that I am happy at Marseille, that is positive. I like the city, the club, the supporters, the team… everything is going well. I do not know what will happen in 6 months. Last year, when I was at Nice at the same time, I did not know that I would be playing for Marseille. Things go so fast in football. I don’t want to think about the future. I am going to give my all. Then there will be discussions in summer.
2 interviews given to the same outlet ,at different times form his loan stints
He has no love or affinity with Arsenal, his interviews are very telling in he never gives credit or love for Arsenal but he does for everything else. He is at a club, a big club who will play CL football, he will be courted by big clubs and they and he knows he doesn’t want to come back. TO WHAT!!
@Reggie
You lot still have this delusional “Player so and so has or hasn’t got love or affinity to Arsenal”.
Those days are well gone, may be academy graduates can have love and affinity to their given clubs but adult players you sign from other clubs hardly are looking for affinity. They are looking for money and trophies etc..
The quicker we fans can stop deluding ourselves about such and such player hasn’t got love or affinity to my club the better. They are doing a paid job. Not here to love anyone or anything. That’s why players always push moves from one club to another.
We should treat players as paid workmen that are paid well to do a job. Over emotionally attached fans make themselves towards certain player will always lead to hearbreak and anger (RVP, Henry, Cesc, Ozil etc).
The club pays them so we should always expect them to perfom in most part. No more excusing them.
Ok, i will put it another way, he has no love or respect for Arteta for the treatment he had. I for one dont blame him, he has been treated shabbily and he wont be rushing back.
It does not matter.
What love or respect did the likes of Cesc, Henry, Vieira, RVP, Nasri, Sanchez, Adebayor etc have for Wenger when they all pushed moves from Arsenal to other clubs, some of those players had so much respect for Arsenal and wenger that they pushed / forced moves to our direct rivals.
That is so much love and respect. Right?
But thats wenger, they all actually played in red and white for Arsenal and has nothing to do with bad treatment.
First of all,with or without Arsenal he was always scouted by the biggest European clubs,also how do you expect to have any love or affinity for a club where he barely spent anytime or never played for?one question,what should he be grateful to Arsenal for??
He has absolutely nothing to be grateful for Siamois.
Not sure why this is being described as being a “surprise”, he is a young player with a good reputation reportedly playing well for Marseille apparently with a style that could suit Spanish football more than English football and Real Madrid are obviously one of the biggest teams in Spain and World football, plus it is the month for rumour and double rumour despite the report talking about it being a possible summer move rather than now
If their was any truth in it at all Saliba could well fancy it, why wouldn’t he
Meanwhile he remains an Arsenal player
Never before has an incompetent manager done so much damage in such a short period of time.
Saliba – just one the money prospects, sacrificed in worship of the Teta. This interest from Real Madrid finally confirms that the 50M deal for Ben White was clearly a misuse of money. The current midfield crisis – two days before the window ends – is further confirmation of the same.
It was clear Arteta didn’t fancy him right from the start because he was bought in by the previous regime.
If he comes back to Arsenal and plays for a year and doesn’t like MA then guess what.
We have another player with only 1 year on his contract and we’ll get peanuts or he’ll run down his contract.
His contract extension should actually be finalised before coming back.