William Saliba had a cold break early in his Arsenal career, with the Gunners even offering him a chance to join another Premier League club before breaking into their starting XI.
William Saliba had to hold back before taking a shot at Arsenal (Image: Getty Images)
William Saliba has admitted that Arsenal told him to move to Newcastle or Crystal Palace when they were unpopular with him, before a loan move to France changed the course of his career.
The centre-half, currently regarded as one of Europe’s best players, was signed by former Gunners manager Unai Emery but never had the chance to play for him. When Saliba was in north London, Mikel Arteta was in charge and the young defender was left out in the cold.
It was so great that he returned to his hometown on loan to Nice, where he became a regular. After that season, Saliba was told not to even report for Arsenal’s pre-season as another club was considering signing the Frenchman.
At the time, Arsenal wanted him to move to the same Premier League team, but Saliba refused. “Arsenal wanted me to go to Newcastle United or Crystal Palace, but I didn’t want to do that,” he told L’Equipe.
Saliba was instead forced to choose between Lille and Marseille, but due to financial problems with the former, he headed to the south of France, although he was initially reluctant. He argued that: “Marseille are a big club but they are scary.
“It was a bit of a crazy season because supporters were going to the Commanderie (OM’s training ground). But with my agent I said: ‘Marseille, if we can go there and have a good season, it’s a French team and things will move quickly.’
“Jorge Sampaoli really needed me. I went to Marseille and things moved very quickly. I played almost every game. My value rose again. I started having fun again.”
William Saliba’s loan spell at Marseille helped change his career (Image: AFP, Getty Images)
“By March, I was playing my first game for France. It was a great year. I honestly loved Marseille. The supporters, the club, my teammates… that’s what football is like. You start from the bottom and build up again. It doesn’t matter. Stay strong. If you do well, you’ll get back to the top.”
Upon his return from Marseille, Saliba was immediately thrown into Arsenal’s starting XI and has never looked back, proving to be a rock over the past four seasons. He currently has a partnership with Gabriel, who is considered the best in Europe.
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