Mikel Arteta finally put his faith in William Saliba by handing the young Frenchman his Premier League debut at Crystal Palace.
Saliba cost £27million as a largely untested teenager when arriving from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2019 and duly spent time out on loan at his former club, Nice and Marseille. His displays for OM last season saw him named Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year, while also leading to senior France honours, putting him in contention for a World Cup place with Les Bleus.
Marseille had been keen to make a deal permanent this summer, but Arteta - who had previously had reservations over keeping Saliba as part of his first-team squad - made clear that he was not for sale and would be keeping him as part of his squad this term.
