Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta appears to have been vindicated in his decision to sanction loan moves to Ligue 1 for star centre-back William Saliba. The defender joined the Gunners in 2019 but only made his first team debut in the summer of 2022 after being shipped off to Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille.
Arsenal shelled out £27million when Unai Emery was in charge to prise Saliba away from Saint-Etienne when he was still only 18 years old. The north London giants immediately sent the player back to his former employers, before current boss Arteta opted to green light another two temporary transfers away from the Emirates Stadium.
Saliba’s third loan spell with Marseille during the 2021/22 campaign proved to be particularly divisive. The 22-year-old enjoyed an incredible season in Ligue 1 and was extolled time and time again for his impact on the French side. But Arsenal were struggling in the Premier League at the time and didn’t even secure a top-four finish that season as they missed out on a place in the Champions League.
Arteta clearly thought Saliba needed another year to cultivate his game. And, despite the short term misery of Arsenal going without the ace, the decision doesn’t look quite so bad anymore.
Saliba has become an influential player for the Gunners since being handed his full debut last August. He was a key reason for Arsenal’s early-season dominance last time around as his side led the Premier League table for the majority of the campaign.
And his team derailed after he suffered a back injury and was forced to miss the final 11 encounters.This season, the player is yet to miss a minute of Premier League or Champions League action, with Arsenal just one point behind league leaders Manchester City. So his journey to the top can hardly be criticised.
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