The situation that surrounds young centre-half William Saliba is so often a point of debate amongst Arsenal supporters. Different perspectives, different theories, and pointers to who should bear the blame but one thing is for certain. Fans want Saliba to get his chance at Arsenal.
If we are to best understand the situation that has developed around the Frenchman, it is only right to start from the beginning.
Saliba Joins Arsenal
William Saliba signed for Arsenal on 25th July 2019 for a fee in the region of £27m. As a part of the deal, he would remain with Saint-Etienne for one more season on loan. Saliba had been given a choice of Arsenal and their North London rivals, Tottenham, when choosing his next club.
The Frenchman chose the Emirates and went on to reveal he had supported the club since childhood, instantly placing him in Arsenal fans’ hearts.
Saliba grew up in Bondy and played for the same academy that produced a certain Kylian Mbappe. The centre-back was even coached by the PSG star’s father, Wilfried Mbappe. This combined with the fact Saliba was starting regularly for Saint-Etienne at just 18 years old, generated a lot of hype among Arsenal fans.
It’s also important to note the men who signed Saliba. Unai Emery would go on to be sacked by the club in November and Raul Sanllehi would leave Arsenal in August of 2020. Two men instrumental in the signing of the Frenchman would not be at the club to greet him when he returned from his loan.
A Troubled Season in France
The loan back to France was a chance for Saliba to gain more first-team experience before hopefully making the jump to Arsenal’s squad the following year. However, it was anything but that. Saliba struggled with injuries for the majority of the season and the early cancellation of Ligue One due to the Covid-19 outbreak meant Saliba wouldn’t play any football after his last Saint-Etienne game in March.
While Saint-Etienne had qualified for the Coupe de France final which was to be played, Arsenal and Saint-Etienne could not come to an agreement on a training programme, and the loan wasn’t extended.
By the time Saliba arrived back at Arsenal to start the preseason, he hadn’t played a competitive match of football in almost five months. It is worth mentioning Saliba also experienced personal problems during this period.
Whether it was due to the fitness issues or just the judgment that Saliba was not ready for Premier League football, the decision was made that the centre-back would go back on loan. Saint-Etienne were lined up once again to take the Frenchman, however, this would not happen. Arsenal missed the deadline to submit the paperwork and Saliba remained in England.
It is without a doubt that Arsenal made a huge mistake in this instance. Saliba was resigned to U23 football until January with Mikel Arteta not viewing the centre-back as a candidate for the first team. When asked, Arteta spoke of a year of transition needed for Saliba.
A Positive Loan
January brought some positivity for Saliba, with a six-month loan back to France with OGC Nice agreed. The centre-back was imperious, helping transform a leaky relegation-threatened side to one that finished firmly inside the top 10.
In February, controversy struck as a video emerged of Saliba recording a teammate explicitly. While the video was three years old, the French Football Federation judged it to be ‘harmful to the image of the federation’, and Saliba was handed a suspended one-month ban from International duty. While there is no doubt the incident has stained Saliba’s reputation slightly, it is a closed matter now.
Since the end to Saliba and Nice’s season, there has been mixed reports on what the future holds for the youngster. Some claim he will have his chance to impress Mikel Arteta in pre-season, while others claim the centre-back will be loaned or sold given the possible arrival of Ben White. This has led to a massive outcry in support of Saliba from the Arsenal fanbase.
Looking at the Full Picture
If we are to make a balanced judgment, we must look at the full picture and multiple outlooks.
Arsenal made a huge mistake in the handling of William Saliba. This is an absolute truth. The failure to agree a full season loan cost Saliba valuable time in his career. However, could Mikel Arteta have given the youngster a chance in the Premier League?
When asked, Saliba claimed, ‘He (Arteta) judged me on two-and-a-half matches’, but also noted, ‘Football is like that’. In a different interview, Saliba admitted, ‘We quickly had the first friendly matches where I lacked rhythm and was a bit insufficient physically’, pointing to the effects of his lack of game-time.
Arteta himself pointed to Saliba’s lack of game-time and future when asked: “I was always very conscious when he came back when he didn’t do the step that he had to before joining us, that to start a relationship with a new manager, a new club, new team-mates where he is not having any game time is really difficult and I think it is damaging for the future.”
‘I want to protect the player that we signed and the future we have alongside him and the best way to do that is to give him minutes to play.’
It is clear there were concerns about Saliba’s lack of game-time in the 19/20 season. Something that is absolutely certain, is that Arsenal made a huge mistake in not getting the Frenchman’s loan over the line in the Summer. They interrupted his development and let him down.
What Next?
In recent days Saliba has been called up for the French Olympics squad. This would see him miss the majority of pre-season. It is not yet clear how this, along with the potential arrival of Ben White will impact Saliba. It is also not clear whether Saliba will be open to yet another loan.
With talks between the young center-back’s representatives and the club taking place currently, Arsenal fans will be hoping for a positive outcome that will see Saliba finally play for the club he supports.
If you’d like to have a tactical look at what William Saliba brings to Arsenal, one of my fellow authors has covered that in great detail here.
Please let me know your thoughts on the Saliba situation in the comments below – would you say that he’s been mismanaged by Arteta and Arsenal?