There have been rumours that Arsenal could cut William Saliba’s loan move at Marseille short and bring him back to the Emirates in January as he continues to impress in the south of France
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Arsenal will reportedly not recall William Saliba from Marseille in January as a mid-season return is ‘out of the question’.
The centre-half is enjoying his loan spell at the Stade Velodrome, playing every minute of the Ligue 1 campaign so far.
The youngster has been hailed as one of the best defenders in France this term as he gets some invaluable playing time under his belt.
Arsenal fans had hoped he was going to get a chance in Mikel Arteta’s first team this season, but the Spaniard opted to send him out on loan for a second successive year as he felt the centre-back needed to play games rather than sit on the bench.
And it looks like that decision has paid off as his meteoric rise continues in the south of France.
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HAVE YOUR SAY! Was it the wrong decision to send Saliba out on loan? Comment below
There were even rumours that the Gunners could cut his loan move short and bring him back to the Emirates in January.
But that speculation has been dismissed as TF1, via Sport Witness, insists there is no chance of Saliba returning to Arsenal and that he will see out the remainder of his loan deal with Marseille.
Saliba opened up about his decision to join the French side as club president Pablo Longoria promised he would take his career to the “next level”.
And the 20-year-old reckons that his success at Marseille, given the intense pressure at the club, shows he can “play anywhere” as has sent a pointed message to Arteta.
He told Telefoot, via Get French Football News : “[Pablo] Longoria told me that if I wanted to reach the next level in my progression, I had to come here. If you can perform at Marseille, to play under this pressure, you can play anywhere else.”
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“I hadn’t even signed yet and I was already getting messages from supporters. I’ve never seen passion like this, in this town the only thing that matters in OM.
“With [Jorge] Sampaoli, we have to give it our all from start to finish. We can’t do things half-heartedly. Sometimes I don’t put enough power on my passes and he tells me: ‘those are kids’ passes!’”
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Saliba, who has yet to make a competitive appearance for Arsenal, conceded that Arteta made the right call to send him out on loan, as he continues to thrive in Ligue 1.
He told L’Equipe “We’ve done a big start to the season, even if the three last games haven’t been positive with two losses in Ligue 1. We’re going to come back to try and win. I have been welcomed really well by my teammates and the fans
“For me, it’s a very good choice, it’s the club I needed, with a very good pressure. At my age, it’s good to play in a stadium like that.”
