William Saliba has confirmed he’ll return to Arsenal this season and is determined to show the club and supporters his ‘true face’.
Having impressed for Marseille during his year-long loan spell, there has been much speculation about what the 21-year-old will do next.
Despite Mikel Arteta making it clear he wants the defender back at the Emirates, plenty of reports have surfaced in recent weeks linking him with various big-name clubs.
His latest comments should kill off the speculation once and for all.
“I belong to Arsenal, I still have two years left,” he told Telefoot.
“I will be back with Arsenal. I have played zero matches and I still want to show them my true face and have the chance to play for these fans and this great club.
"J'appartiens à Arsenal, il me reste encore deux ans. Je serais à la reprise avec Arsenal. J'ai fait zéro match et j'ai quand même envie de leur montrer mon vrai visage et d'avoir la chance de jouer pour ces supporters et ce grand club."
Saliba sur son avenir @JulienMaynard pic.twitter.com/PpkmH8k1Va
— Téléfoot (@telefoot_TF1) June 5, 2022
Voted Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year after playing nearly every game of Marseille’s season, and having been promoted to the France senior squad, it’s been a very productive 12 months for the youngster.
Reflecting on his year at the Stade Velodrome, he said: “It’s my first full season. I was keen to show who I really am. It’s a very positive assessment and really I’m very happy with my season.”
“It’s as if I stayed at least two to three years, it’s really special.
“Even if I don’t come back to Marseille, I’ll never forget. Thanks to Marseille, I’ve come through a great milestone and it was they who helped boost my confidence.”
"C'est comme si j'étais resté au moins 2-3 ans, c'est vraiment spécial. Même si je ne reviens pas à Marseille, je n'oublierai jamais. Grâce à l'OM, j'ai passé un grand cap dans ma carrière et c'est eux qui m'ont boosté."
William Saliba sur son attachement à l'OM @JulienMaynard pic.twitter.com/zcsEACX2C8
— Téléfoot (@telefoot_TF1) June 5, 2022
Having racked up a few caps for Les Bleus, it’s also clear that Saliba has his sights on being part of his country’s squad for the upcoming World Cup.
“I went into a locker room that won the Champions League, the World Cup. You see players you followed when you were little. And now you’re in the same locker room as them, you train with them, you play with them.
“When you taste this feeling, you don’t want to do without it anymore, so I’m going to work very very very hard to be called back as many times as possible.
“When you’re in the France team, you want to be there. It’s a goal.”
Alongside his return to Arsenal, it is expected that Saliba will be offered a new contract on improved terms.
Hopefully he signs a new contract, but it will be hard to convince the player right now, given all that has happened.
Why wouldn’t he wait another year to see how everything goes and then sign?
Big contract on more money is usually enough to convince a player he’s wanted and is gonna play……he’s gonna be VVD good !!
Loving the look of Scamacca, hope we get him and Jesus in…..
Just give him a bumper deal, just like Saka.
If Eddie is worth £100k a week then god knows what this kid is going to be on.
Eddie ain’t worth £100k a week. Would have offered him £20k a week if he’s ok with 3rd striker. We will struggle big time to score if he leads our line next season. Wish the kid well but if 100k is true then the club have learnt FA in recent years.
You know how it works. There’s no transfer fee, so AFC essentially amortizes it over the length of the contract. He’s a very useful player, and will almost certainly get better. An equivalent backup CF would cost 20M and 50k per week. Keeping Eddie is good business and a reasonable bet on his future with us.
Right–if you pay £15 million for a new striker, and sign him for five years, the transfer fee equals about £57 thousand a week extra. If you pay £20 million, that’s the same as an extra £77 thousand a week.
Let’s just pray our new number 9 don’t get injured as I recon you may be changing your mind when you see what he brings to the team. At £110k we are then stuck with him
yeah lets give everyone bumper deals that have never kicked a ball for the club and that have played in a far easier league than the Premier league !! but hey you know it all ! why not pay Saka 350k and Saliba 350k and ESR 200k and Partey 350k and and and and ??? silly 😋
Mate, that’s how the market place is now.
Don’t go blaming Arsenal for paying inflated salaries – blame Chelsea, Abramovich, Man Utd, the Glaziers, Manchester City, Sheik Mansoor, PSG, Barca and Real Madrid – and now Newcastle and that weird bird who looks like a pixie on smack.
They’re the cunts who are ruining the game.
We’re only shelling out daft money in order to try and match the obscene amounts being thrown around by the above.
Otherwise, we’d have a team full of Mark Nobles. No thanks.
Re: Scamacca
If we pursued him this summer, it would be a repeat of the Vlahovic nonsense. Scamacca is a young, up-and-coming Italian striker who only has eyes on a move to an upper-echelon Italian side. Naturally, like Vlahovic did, Scamacca’s agent would use Arsenal’s interest (if true) to drive up his client’s fee for a side like Inter or AC Milan. No way he’s leaving Serie A.
100%. I also cannot fathom the huge offer we made for Osimhen? Yes, he’s a good striker but Tammy A has scored more goals, in the same league, over the past 5 months than either him or Scamacca (or Vlahovic, for that matter). Just bring our boyhood Gooner back to London and we’re sorted: he’s a big, dominant lad, yet very fast and athletic; he’s great in the air; he has proven PL goal form (whereas the others will be ‘virgin gambles’; he’s a bloody Arsenal fan! Why are we fannying about with every other striker in Europe and not… Read more »
I don’t disagree about Abraham, but given the form you suggest and the fact he just signed a contract a year ago, Roma won’t part with him unless it’s a huge fee, and I’m not sure we have the cash for two big striker fees this summer (?).
Worried that Scamacca – albeit monstrously imposing – is another Vlahovic in that he’s publicly stated he doesn’t want to leave Italy.
Just offer 60m for Tammy, close the deal and job done! He’s out-scored Osimhen and Scamacca (and even Vlahovic!) in the time he’s been in that League… he’s a London boy and a Gooner, ffs – what more do we want!
i disagree, he knows he was only loaned out while Arteta made space for him and to give him game time he would not of got if he had stayed at the club. Simple as that. Saliba was still young and needed more game time. Nothing else to it. Arteta has spoken to the player time and time again and now he is coming back and in his own words to prove himself worth a start.. he will sign a new contract trust me !! Arsenal are a massive club compared to Marsille !! i mean massive !!
Depends on whether he values being at a big club, or having more game time at a smaller one for development. This years loan was really good for him yes, but the treatment from Arteta the year before, not really giving him a chance, and then the club messing up a loan deal (St. Etienne might have been at fault as well) was hurtful to the player – Saliba has been quite vocal about this. But the manager has to learn as well and hopefully, he will show Saliba he is valuable this time and the past will be forgotten.… Read more »
I still have a feeling – if Mikel wants to do some ‘left-field Arsene-like thinking’ – that Saliba would not be out of place as a def mid alongside Thomas? I’ve watched him a lot – he’s got very quick feet, serious pace, great strength and a good reading of the pitch in front of him. I still remember when Arsene bought a struggling left wing and bunged him into the centre-forward spot… or when he stuck our most talented attacking midfielder – the dimunitive and dainty Santi – into a deep-lying defensive mid position. The rest, as they say…… Read more »
Never the player, the club owe it to themselves to wait and see.
The Premiership is the toughest league in the world; there’s no guarantee that he’ll be an instant hit. Let’s wait and see. Club first, player second. 😉
The great part is he’ll certainly start the group stages of the Europa League and play all cup competitions while deputising for Gabriel and Ben White who are prone to injuries and suspensions…that’s easily a minute of 25matches…show us what you’ve got bill!
for some reason Bill Saliba makes me chuckle
And exactly why would the club be stupid enough to simply “wait” for another year while the player “sees how everything goes” (in other words, have the club over a barrel with just 12 months left on his contract).
I didn’t say the club would or should wait.
I said it might be in the players interest to see how next season folds out before he commits himself long-term.
So, I guess we’re on the same page then mate. If the club can’t get him to commit to a new long-term deal in this window, then it would make sense to sell him now, for good money. There aren’t going to be a shortage of suitors for the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season.
Very keen to see him play & how he adapts to the premier league but also wary he only has two years left on his deal. If he won’t sign a new deal this summer we may have to look to cash in.
Hopefully this puts to bed all the rumors surrounding his transfer this season
It won’t. Only him signing a new deal will do that. That’s the true gauge.
Right. But I think he’s already decided to sign, on considerably higher wages. We’ll need three top class center backs this season. He and Gabriel are different enough that Arteta will have tactical options. Plus, injuries.
Also having Saliba, White and Tomi, who can all play CB and RB we shouldn’t have to play Cedric much.
I don’t mind if he is the team now and again but we can’t be going into the final 6 weeks or so of the season with him starting again.
I really hope Arteta will give him a fresh start. With two years left on the deal this year has to be the Arsenal break through season for him. So he wants an believe in a future with us. Otherwise it would make more sense to sell him. His value is at its peak I think.
Not when he’s worth 180 millions next year
Good lad
Last 2 years of his contract. If he does not sign a new deal before end of the window, sell him and reinvest smartly in a new centre-back.
He should show he is committed by signing a new deal.
Going under 2 years on contract usually means big loss for the club in transfer revenue. This Europa League team cannot afford losses in transfer value.
You’re correct! History tells us we always mismanage the last year of contract negotiations and end up losing the player or paying over the top…gnabry, aubameyang, balogun, Nketiah,Alexis…
Don’t see why Balogun is included in this? He can’t be earning that much at the moment.
Great news. We need to give him the chance in the PL.
Contract situation is not relevant.
If he is good- I rather have him play out the 2 years left, than cash on him now.
Meanwhile of course try extend his contract, but we should NEVER base the decision to buy\sell\loan on the contract situation. These times have passed.
Only thing to consider is if he proves himself and plays well for us.
Totally disagree, we’ve spent too long not considering the contract situation of players and it’s burnt us over, and over again.
Id rather sell him for £40m and reinvest today, than run his contract down and have 1-2 years of disengagement – we have 2 solid CBs, this is not an area we need to compromise to a players desires
He’s going to want to prove himself regardless of if he’s staying long term or looking for a move, so no worries on the motivation front. His wages will be relatively low on his current contract so If he doesn’t renew we get 2 years of service pretty cheap. If we sell then we have to replace him as we need a quality 3rd center back with European football, which will be an outlay on a transfer fee plus an increased wage expense. We’ve already capitalized the cost of his transfer fee so it would seem sensible to wait until… Read more »
If Saliba is not extending, that itself tells you his commitment to the club. He could be looking at big payday for signing on free transfer just two years from now. That means he should be sold for money.
Money is useful immediately. Money got us Gabriel and Ben White. There are always good players, Saliba is not the only one.
also useful immediately; footballers under contract. yknow, the resource we buy with that money. I don’t think there’s a single Arsenal footballer whose stock has risen more highly in the past 18-24 months than Saliba, Saka included. While I hope he does sign a new contract, even if we only get to benefit from that talent for 24 months, it could still be decisive even if we don’t benefit from a transfer fee at the end of it. His prospects for success are by no means remote now, as he has proven himself in a rather impressive way in the… Read more »
He looks delighted to be back wearing an Arsenal shirt🤨
Correction: last seasons shirt🤭
That’s all right. I’m sure that his new contract will give him enough to buy one of the new ones.
Happy he’s coming back.
He should come and challenge Gabriel gor his position. Gabriel has a lot of mistakes in him. Gabriel mistakes caused us goals against Palace, Spurs, Pool and others.
People downvote this like it’s not the simple truth. Gabriel is catastrophic with the ball at his feet, erratic in his decision making and rash with his tackling. White, for all the good he does, is just too soft and aerially poor. Saliba answers both questions. At least from what we’ve seen so far.
He has a shot if he’s given the chance.
I see people talking like we’ve got no worries at CB and we don’t really need this guy. It’s just funny.
CB was not a big problem last season (other than Pablo Mari because his form went down the toilet). Midfield and striker were our weak points. Our defensive record was excellent for most of the season. However, Saliba will only be a positive for us providing exceptional competition to the first choice pairing.
Whilst I wouldn’t pile the hate on White and Gabriel as some have done here, they certainly cost us some goals in key games. And while that’s always the cross your last line of defence has to bear, the moments of pure brainfarts (Gabriel) or simply switching off (White) were a bit concerning and need to be ironed out in this pre-season.
Good lad. Now give the boy a contract and we can move forward with all this.
Very, very excited to see big Willie in an Arsenal shirt. Still young, he won’t be perfect but to me it made sense to try and keep him. How much would it cost is to find another promising centre back?
I scanned your comment and got Willie Young out of it.
The towering inferno – now that was one gritty footballer.
Yes, absolutely worth trying him out alongside Gabriel or White especially.
His height will help so much. I’d be interested to see how good his left foot passing is, as a alternative to Gabriel. Holding and White are not natural left footers.
So perhaps he maybe introduced as a right back and Tomi to replace Gabriel, should he be injured. Should we be aiming for attacking left back and conservative right back pattern.
Sign an extension now or sell. He seems the type that COULD play well, be worth £70mill and join PSG for free in 2 years time. Give him another 1-3 year extension to protect ourselves
Wonder if he’s bothered to learn any English in the last 3 years? If he’s that committed to Arsenal.
Maybe his advisors even the French national coach, advised him to try the Premier league to improve his game.
Why would he Sign a new contract with us? We’ve treated him awfully thus far.
We got him minutes, a player of the season award and a first appearance for his country by our actions. We are soooo naughty!!!
Will be interested to see how Mikel improves his game.
Especially as Mikel wants four at the back and Saliba has been playing as the right Centre back in a three.
Woo. Feels like a new signing.
what is it with some people on here ? with the give him a bumper salary etc etc etc. He has not even kicked a football for the club yet fools are going around saying give him a bumper package like Saka ? are these people actually for real or just plain silly. Every player has to prove themselves even Saliba. He will get a better deal if he shows what he is made of and if he deserves one. Time will tell. Yes i think he is a quality defender yes i think he good and will only get… Read more »
Completely agree. He went on loan & showed his worth in Ligue 1, now he’s committed to battle it out for a starting spot like everyone else & if he does that then offer him a bumber new deal. Really happy to see him come back but no one’s special.
Some people are going to be v. Disappointed when they see this guy play for Arsenal next season- they have built him up to be something he isn’t.
Should have sold the lad this summer while his stock was high.
Uncomfortable on the ball, prone to lapses in concentration and can be physically bullied as seen against Denmark.
Fontana was the talent at St Etienne.
Mustafi 2.0 incoming.
Watch his value plunge as Arsenal try to offload him next summer.
#notworththewait
As long as he leaves the exclusive filming with Amazon we will give him a chance!
Im calling it.. Ben White is our new RB, Saliba at CB and Tomiyasu next to Partey in that left MF Xhaka role we saw him in in that 1 game.
Would rather see Saliba just behind Thomas in the deep mid role.
This is part of the next step for a team that regularly challenges for top four and, sometimes, more. This means a huge increase in flexibility for Arteta. He can rotate his centre halves; he can use Ben White as a left fullback if Tomiyasu is injured, or when Tierney is out and Tomiyasu moves to that side; he can play a back three with wingback choices that are primarily attackers, such as Saka. We need a similar flexibility for the midfield–someone who can cover for / rotate with both Partey and Xhaka (it’s now clear that putting Odegaard in… Read more »
Ben White as right fullback, obviously. Sometimes it’s the keyboard, sometimes it’s my brain.
Are your left-brained or right-brained? 😉
Superb, let’s see what the boy can do in the premier league.
Had a real Regi the other night!
If he can’t handle Cardiff flop Cornelius imagine how he’d fair against Haaland, Kane, Son, Ronaldo, Salah, Diaz and the rest of the Premier League. There may be trouble ahead…
Good. Hopefully another useful piece in the jigsaw.
Two years left on his contract, which isn’t such a bad thing. If he can live up to the hype next season, all well and good; we offer him a new deal.
If he flops next season we can cash in at the end of it and get some sort of return on our investment.
I have a feeling though that he is going to do well. 🤞
Find it mad that so many seem to think he will walk into our starting 11 over a guy like Ben White, who has been one of our most consistent performers last season. I really fear for Saliba. He‘s definitely highly talented and I have no doubt that he can become a monster at CB over the years but some seem to think he‘s prime Maldini already and those will go through loads of disappointments over the next couple of seasons. It was absolutely right from our side to loan him out as although he‘s been mostly good at Marseille,… Read more »
LANS