Arsenal outcast William Saliba ‘wants to stay in the UK if he goes out on loan again in January’ as Frenchman continues to adapt to Premier League football after failing to break into Mikel Arteta’s plans
- Arsenal youngster William Saliba wants to stay in the UK if he’s loaned out again
- The Frenchman has yet to play for Mikel Arteta’s side after returning this summer
- He spent last season at Saint-Etienne after signing for £27m back in 2019
- Saliba joked he was being ‘locked up’ like fellow outcast Matteo Guendouzi
Arsenal youngster William Saliba ‘wants to stay in the UK’ if he is to make another loan move away from the club in January.
The French defender is yet to make a senior appearance under Mikel Arteta this season after returning to north London from a loan spell at boyhood club Saint-Etienne.
Arteta deemed Saliba not ready for selection during the summer and was willing to let him return to Saint-Etienne on loan before a move broke down when the formalities could not be completed.
Arsenal’s William Saliba wants to stay in the UK if he is sent out loan in the January window
Saliba is yet to impress Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (above) who is under pressure himself
He was then left out of the Europa League squad and has found his chances of action affected by Arsenal’s depth at centre back.
Arteta has David Luiz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Rob Holding, Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari to choose from, as well as Saliba.
But the club feel confident that the £27million investment they made on the 19-year-old will pay off eventually. However, they are keen for him to go away and play first-team football for the rest of the season.
According to The Athletic, Saliba’s preference is to stay in the UK if he is to leave the club next month.
Saliba (right) has featured for the club’s under-23 squad but was sent off in his last match
Saliba trains with the first team but is yet to impress enough to make his senior debut
It is hoped staying put in the UK will speed up his adaption to British football but there are also options for him to return to France.
Saliba was signed by Unai Emery and then loaned straight back to Saint-Etienne, returning to find the Spaniard gone and Arteta in charge.
He is said to have made ‘massive improvements’ during training but the hectic schedule of this season has made it hard for him to make an impact during sessions.
Saliba has been working with the club’s under-23s when the first-team are away at matches but is then used as opposition in training games with Arteta’s squad.
His most recent game for the under-23s was a 3-0 Football League Trophy defeat by AFC Wimbledon, where he was sent off for two yellow cards.
Saliba told Matteo Guendouzi and Nicolas Pepe on Instagram he has been exiled by the club
Guendouzi claimed that Saliba and him are both ‘together’ in exile by the north London club
Saliba recently reached out to fellow Arsenal outcast Matteo Guendouzi on social media, saying he is being ‘locked up’ by the club.
Guendouzi scored his first Hertha Berlin goal on Saturday and shared images of his goal on Instagram, with Saliba reacting with the ‘fire emoji’ in the comments section.
Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe, who has suffered from on-field disciplinary issues this season after his red card for violent conduct at Leeds, then commented: ‘This is your (Saliba’s) problem, you comment on everything.’
Saliba then jokingly replied: ‘Hahaha, I’m sending well wishes to the brother that was locked up like me.’
Guendouzi then gave sympathy to the Arsenal defender, saying: ‘We are together bro.’
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