William Saliba has endured a tough start to his time at the Emirates and the ‘Mbappe of defenders’ is adamant to prove Mikel Arteta wrong and have his say on succeeding with the North Londoners.
Arsenal signed the Frenchman from Saint-Etienne back in July 2019 for£27m, but one of the stipulations meant he’d stay with the French outfit for another year (on loan). When he returned to N5 in the following summer, he was expected to get straight into the then struggling defence – that didn’t happen and Mikel Arteta preferred other options. His situation got tough with the men in Reds and Whites, many from the outside questioned his involvement (or un-involvement, should I say).
Saliba was subsequently sent on loan to Nice in January last year, before being shipped off on-loan to Marseille this season. He has been impressive for the Ligue 1 outfit since his arrival and the 20-year-old has opened up about his situation in a chat with Eurosport:
“Of course, there are times when it’s hard. You don’t even play a game for six months. You tell yourself that football is a difficult sport. You mustn’t give up, you have to fight. It should not be taken negatively. It must serve as a mental lesson to go further. It gives you a little slap to remind you that you’re nobody. I feed on it. I know what it’s like not to play for six months.”
