Saliba’s Arsenal exit on loan in January reportedly close to being agreed
William Saliba’s Arsenal exit on loan in the January transfer window is reportedly close to being agreed, according to French media outlet But! Football via the Daily Express.
The 19 year old signed for Arsenal from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2019 for £27 million and was loaned back to the French side for the 2019/20 season. He made just 17 appearances in all competitions for Les Verts last season due to injuries and the fact that the French season was cancelled prematurely due to the coronavirus.
The French central defender officially linked up with the North London club in the summer but is yet to make his first team debut. Manager Mikel Arteta has made it clear that he feels Saliba didn’t get the transition year the club were hoping for last season due to a number of reasons. He believes the former Saint-Etienne man is still in need of that transition before being ready to make the step up at the Emirates.
Saliba was on the verge of rejoining Saint-Etienne on a season long loan at the end of the summer transfer window but that move did not go through due to administrative challenges. In the current campaign, he has made five appearances for the Arsenal Under-23 team.
Saint-Etienne are keen on signing him on loan in January for the remainder of the season and believe they are close to reaching an agreement. Due to Arsenal’s downturn in fortunes more recently, the French side fear Arteta will call upon Saliba in the near future and endanger their chances of signing him on loan in the upcoming January transfer window.
It was a weak move by Arsenal in the first place, to pay 27 mil for a player on condition we loan him back to the club. We allowed a small club to bully us. The one year transition that Arteta’s always harping on should have taken place at Arsenal, with him acclimatizing to his new surroundings, the English weather and familliaring himself with his new teammates, the coach and staff of his new club.