We’ve all seen a transfer which just hasn’t worked out at all, but there’s something incredibly unusual about Arsenal’s treatment on William Saliba.
It was a surprise when he was signed for a fee of €30m in the summer of 2019 and immediately loaned back to St Etienne at a time when Arsenal didn’t have a lot of money to spend, so it suggested they simply felt he was an outstanding prospect that they couldn’t pass up on.
He returned from that loan spell last summer and it was widely expected that he would be the future of the defence, but it’s just not worked out like that at all.
He was left out of the Europa League squad when playing time was given to the likes of Mustafi, while he was also left out of the Carabao Cup game against Man City when claims were made that he could’ve played but Arteta fundamentally didn’t understand how the squad rules worked for the competition.
READ MORE: Arteta willing to discuss Ozil’s situation at Arsenal… once the transfer window has closed
He’s currently left in a situation where he’s stuck in the U23 squad so he’s obviously too good for that level, but Mikel Arteta just doesn’t want to give him a chance in the first team at all.
There aren’t any signs of outrageous behaviour or disciplinary problems so it must be the case that he’s not ready for first team football, but the latest reports from France suggest Arsenal could make the shock decision to simply cash in on him before he even gets a chance:
A meeting between Arsenal & William Saliba last week saw both parties agree to be open to accepting both permanent & loan departure opportunities this month, according to L’Équipe.
— Get French Football News (@GFFN) January 1, 2021
It just makes no sense that he’s gone from a player worth shelling out €30m on to being written off and probably sold on for a loss without playing a minute of league football.
It’s possible that Arteta is trying to make a point by writing off a player from a previous regime but that makes little sense either, while it could be that he’s painted himself into the same corner that he has with Mesut Ozil.
Like Ozil, if Saliba came into the team now and looked impressive then fingers would be pointed at the manager for refusing to play someone who could’ve helped the team, so he might just want him gone from the club so he’s not a distraction anymore.
Either way it would be a dreadful piece of business from Arsenal if he leaves permanently and they lose money, but it does look like a possibility.
for god sack play saliba what have u got to lose might be a plus i think he would be batter than some of that other dirt he given games to. from what i have seen of him he would a plus. so mikel take the blinkers of and give him ago.
In this situation Artetta and the board are making the club appear ridiculous, spending twenty seven million pounds on a player sending him out on loan for a year, then without even putting him in the squad to see how he performs, contemplate selling him at a loss. All while you’re picking others in his position who perform like urangatangs on ice.
It very poor selection policy for the team and makes ludacris business sense
I would rather have both Arteta and Edu sacked now than to sell Saliba (without giving him an opportunity to play for Arsenal). This discrimination is totally unacceptable. According to the legendary Arsene Wenger, he was surprised when Arteta was given the Arsenal job, because it would normally take a young coach like him at least ten years of experience before a big club would take this chance. So far this season, Arteta’s persistence to play a core of the old players that have passed their best, have landed Arsenal 15th position in the premier league table. And,by just replacing two old players with youngsters, Arsenal have won two games in a row and have moved to 13th. It shows that the youngsters must be given opportunities to play in the premier league and prove their worth. Arteta have not gone through his ten years of experience and transition, yet, he is the manager at Arsenal, because the board gave him a chance and showed their trust in him. Arteta needs to now show some trust and confidence in the young talents too. Saliba should remain an Arsenal player and be given his opportunities like every other player in the team. Out of all the fringe players, why is this young man the first to be sold. Pure Madness. Edu now wants to bring only Brazilians in the team. If Arsenal lose the next premier league match both Edu and Arteta should be sacked.
Let him play