Former Arsenal player and pundit Paul Merson believes that defender William Saliba must have been “ripped up” in training for him to have been out on loan for the past few seasons. It comes ahead of a huge summer for the youngster, where his future could well be decided.
The 21-year-old is currently on loan at French club Marseille for the season, where he has made 34 Ligue 1 appearances so far. The France international has been a key part of their success this season, though he is set to return to London this summer.
The youngster has since come out to discuss his future, claiming that his loan side are his club: “My wish is to finish the season well, to leave on a good note in case I don’t come back. It would be my pleasure to come back no matter what, it’s not as if I know I’m not going to come back, it’s Marseille, it’s my club.”
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It casts some doubt on his future at the Emirates, given that he is yet to make an appearance at the club since his £27million switch from Saint-Etienne in 2019. While he is being tipped for big things, Saliba will likely have to contest Gabriel and Ben White on his return, with the duo making a solid pairing so far.
In light of this huge potential decision from both the club and player, former Gunners icon Merson has a theory of his own on the fate of Saliba. Writing in his Daily Star column, he said: “There must be a reason he's been loaned out three times by the club. Was he getting ripped in training? I don't see why he's still on loan otherwise.
“Arsenal paid a lot of money for him, but I think if anyone offers them their money back they would take it right now. It's almost three years he's been there now and he can't get a look-in.
“Maybe Mikel Arteta has watched him train and decided he's nowhere near ready. But if that's the case, Arsenal are going to need another centre-back this summer because you can't rely on Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes and Rob Holding.”
It remains to be seen how the saga will play out, however it is clear that this summer will be huge in deciding the future of the defender.
