Arsenal defender overlooked by Mikel Arteta and sent out on loan wins Player of the Month award

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Arsenal loanee William Saliba has hit the ground running away from the Emirates Stadium, winning Nice’s Player of the Month award for January.

The Emirates Stadium side beat Tottenham to the signing of the 19-year-old centre-back in summer 2019 in a £27million deal from Saint-Etienne (BBC Sport).

Arsenal loaned Saliba back to the Ligue 1 club for the entirety of the 2019-20 season as part of the deal, where he made 17 appearances and reached the French Cup final.

Despite being tipped for a successful breakthrough this term, the centre-back didn’t make a single senior appearance for the Gunners, having to make do with games for the Under-23s.

Saliba’s lack of game time brought about a loan spell to Ligue 1 side Nice last month, and he has done superbly in his six appearances thus far for Les Aiglons.

So much so, in fact, that he was deemed the team’s best player of the month, scooping 44 percent of the vote, twice as much as second-placed Flavius Daniliuc.

“Through his presence, his impact and his ability on the ball, he has quickly brought what he was signed for: his ability to defend with a calm head,” the club wrote on their website.

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Typical Arsenal, isn’t it? The club’s form has dropped, the defeat to Villa came about due to lacklustre defending, and a defender currently out on loan is named Player of the Month.

That said, Saliba is at the Emirates for the long haul, his contract taking him to 2024, so it’s a good thing that he’s now doing well – hopefully next season will see him shine in red and white.