Report shares William Saliba’s stance amid Arsenal loan exit links

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William Saliba would prefer to stay in England should Arsenal decide to loan him out during the January transfer window, according to a report from The Athletic.

Saliba is still awaiting the chance to make his first-team debut for the Gunners. It has been a surprise to see him on the periphery of the squad this season.

He looked good in pre-season. And he has since followed that up with promising displays for the under-21s and under-23s. Meanwhile, the first-team have looked unconvincing for much of the Premier League campaign.

It now appears that he could be on the move next month. The Athletic reports that a loan move is being considered for when the window opens.

And the report adds that Saliba would rather stay in England. It is suggested that a domestic move would hand the centre-back a better chance to adapt ahead of next season.

TBR View: Arsenal must not loan out Saliba before handing him a chance

Right now, Arsenal are enduring a torrid time. They are languishing in the bottom-half of the table. And Arteta’s side are playing with little confidence, particularly in the final third.

There is an opportunity to restore some belief. And it surely comes from handing some of the younger players more of a chance.

Arsenal are not going to be involved in a relegation scrap. And thus, handing game-time to some of the brightest prospects over the coming weeks surely makes a lot of sense.

They should play without many of the scars the current first-team now have. And with this season already shaping up to be a write-off, it would arguably be worthwhile to integrate some of the younger players who will play prominent roles in the future.

Saliba – who earns £40,000-a-week, according to Spotrac – looks to have a massive future ahead of him. So Arteta should surely give him an opportunity before deciding whether to loan him out for another spell in January.