Some Arsenal fans have been left absolutely enraged as the club have confirmed that big-money signing William Saliba will be loaned out for a third time, once again back to France but with Marseille.
It seems like the switch to Marseille was wrapped up quite a while ago, as Saliba posed with a club scarf a couple of days ago.
Hopes were high when the Gunners recruited Saliba in the summer of 2019 for a massive fee of £27m, per BBC Sport, but the Frenchman has not had the chance to showcase his ability in North London.
Fabrizio Romano reiterates that the loan deal does not include a permanent transfer option, which fits with the suggestions from Edu in the official statement that Saliba does still have a future at Arsenal.
Nevertheless, this now means that Saliba will have spent two-and-a-half of his three years with the Gunners away on loan, never being called on in the first-team even once over that period.
Official and confirmed. William Saliba joins Olympique Marseille from Arsenal on loan until June 2022. NO buy option included. ??? #OM #AFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 15, 2021
Here is how some of the Arsenal faithful have reacted to Saliba being cast aside once more:
The way ARTETA is treating this kid is wrong. WE HATE ARTETA
— Mattias Borglin (@BorglinMattias) July 15, 2021
You wouldn’t think this club at this very moment only employ Pablo Mari and Rob Holding as starting Centerbacks.
It’s a disgrace— HxH? (@AfcKols_) July 15, 2021
Awful treatment
— F?? (@Friasimo) July 15, 2021
Loool what a joke! We shouldn’t be loaning players that are better than the pathetic first team squad we got!!!
— Ryan Colaço (Ryan C™) #Arsenal #BlackLivesMatter (@Ryan_Colaco) July 15, 2021
What a top talent we destroyed ?
— Noel Mc Govern ?? (@noelmickedy) July 15, 2021
Head there and smash it Wilo, one day, Justice will happen ?
— Saliba ? ?? (@SalibaEra_) July 15, 2021
so disappointed.
— Matt (@MGH) July 15, 2021
Makes no sense but ok
— Spanish Gooner (@elspanishgooner) July 15, 2021
It seems like everything has gone downhill for Saliba since he first signed for Arsenal, he spent the curtailed 19/20 Ligue 1 season back with Saint-Etienne but was prevented from playing in the Coupe de France final with his boyhood club.
Saliba then laboured away with the Under-23s to no avail in the first-half of last season, ultimately leading to the centre-back being loaned out to Nice for the second part of the 2020/21 campaign.
The 20-year-old made 22 appearances with Nice as they went on to finish ninth in the French top-flight and it appears as though Saliba has still not done enough to win at least a chance from Mikel Arteta.
It’s of course disappointing to see that Saliba is yet to make an impact at Arsenal, heading into his third season on their books, but the centre-back is still young and can hopefully stack his price-tag up against Premier League competition down the line.
Everyone knows that Arteta is not an Arsenal man because he played few years in the club does not make him a real Arsenal man because the DNA is not there he carried malice to real Arsenal players now what is the thing he will tell us the fan that is William Saliba’s problem to him but making many mistake in his signing of players he is claiming a good coach look at Williams, Runnerson. He even went ahead and sell Emilia no Martinez he is still claiming even if you give 11Messi or 11 Cristiano he can not make head way my only problem is making me to feel sad in the other way he has only this year to go if he can finish the season then all those boys will come back by then he will be watching Arsenal from afar
Dear George,
I think Arteta won’t make it pass october because we played Chelsea, Mancity and Tottenham in the first month and from what have seen nothing has changed from last season. It seems the guy just takes one look at some players and decides i don’t like them and he is not gonna play in my team. Awful treatment for Saliba, Torreira, Guendouzi and Lacazette. Can you believe they about to sell Guendouzi for less than 10 millions (a full french international) , why keep Lacazette on the bench while he was redhot and our best scorer?