Mikel Arteta says William Saliba didn’t even think of leaving Arsenal

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed that William Saliba did not even consider leaving the Gunners this summer.

The young French defender joined Arsenal back in 2019, but he didn’t get a sniff of competitive first-team football until last weekend.

He spent loan spells at Saint-Etienne, Nice and most recently, Olympique Marseille. The Phocaeans were absolutely desperate to sign him on a permanent deal, and many reports revealed that Saliba was open to that move as well.

However, Arteta has come out and rubbished that claim. He has revealed that Saliba’s only intention was to come back and play for Arsenal this season.

• Report: Arsenal board have now reached out to ‘fantastic’ player over a new deal and are confident he will sign it

Mikel Arteta says William Saliba didn’t even think of leaving Arsenal

In his press conference, Arteta said, as per CBS Sports: “The reality is he was very convinced and determined to come here. He had no other choice. He never suggested anything else.

“From the first conversations that we had with him, you could see that he only had one intention – to come here and start to play football matches for Arsenal.”

When asked about Saliba’s age and the possibility that he makes a few mistakes in the Premier League this season, the Gunners boss said: “Mistakes are a part of football at 21 and 35, they’re going to happen.

“The mistakes that we want to happen are, as much as possible, on the training pitch. And if they’re going to happen on the pitch, that they don’t cost you goals. That’s the objective. Inevitably things will happen.

“I always say, especially with young players and the development portfolio that we have in our squad, you have to pay a bill. That bill is that at some stage they’re going to make mistakes, they’re going to experience things for the first time, and they have to go through that process.”

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It has been a long wait for Saliba, but when he finally got his chance against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last weekend, he took it and showed the world what he’s all about.

The 21-year-old, branded as ‘fantastic’ by Brendan Rodgers, was simply sensational against the Eagles. He didn’t put a foot wrong throughout the game, and deservedly won the Man of the Match award.

The worry for Arsenal is that Saliba has entered the final two years of his contract. The eyes of some of the biggest clubs in world football will be on him if he continues to perform like he did last weekend. The Gunners have to tie him down to a new deal as quickly as possible.

If Arteta’s comments are anything to go by, convincing him shouldn’t be too much of a problem.