With the January transfer window in full swing, it is difficult to look beyond the 31st of the month and towards what might happen for Arsenal in the summer.
Whether Arsenal will qualify for the Champions League this season will determine their capacity to sign some of the top targets that Edu and Mikel Arteta will want. This has affected their chances of acquiring their primary winter targets with Dusan Vlahovic seemingly unconvinced by the Gunners’ project.
However, Arteta can be sure that the club is set to see one ‘new’ player come into his squad next season off the back of a hugely impressive campaign.
William Saliba started and secured his fourteenth clean sheet of the season whilst on loan with Olympique Marseille.
Signed by the Ligue 1 side in the summer, having been told that first-team chances would remain difficult for him, Arsenal have monitored the Frenchman closely and OM’s 2-0 win over Lens extended his clean sheet tally over summer signing Ben White by two.
Edu even visited France with loan officer Ben Knapper to watch Saliba in Marseille’s match with PSG where Saliba pulled off a brilliant recovery run and sliding challenge on Kylian Mbappe.
In his stead, White has formed a strong partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes and Saliba will return in the summer with the pair his main obstacles.
Pablo Mari has left on loan this winter for Udinese with his long-term future in north London uncertain and therefore Saliba would surely overtake the Spaniard in the pecking order.
Rob Holding signed a new deal in the summer of 2021 but his chances have been limited and at the age of 26, he will be more than aware that Gabriel, White and Saliba competing for the spots could leave him lacking even more match time.
Saliba’s versatility has been working to his advantage for Jorge Sampaoli. He has operated in four different roles so far for the Chilean.
The majority of the defender's games have been played on the right-hand side of a back three. However, he has played in the central sweeping role, left centre-half and even at right-back.
With Takehiro Tomiyasu missing for Arsenal, Saliba would suit playing the hybrid full-back role that Arteta has created in the position for the Gunners should the Japanese international face fitness issues next season.
Questions linger on whether Arteta will truly give Saliba an opportunity next season and whether the Frenchman is willing to give the club the chance to play him.
Marseille’s impending transfer ban, barring any successful appeal, would close the door for Saliba to sign for OM aiding Arsenal’s position with the 20-year-old somewhat.
Arsenal’s supporters have been very demanding of the club to put faith in their £27 million 2019 signing who still has not made his senior competitive debut for the club. Time will tell but the former Saint-Etienne man is giving Arteta little-to-no reason not to put faith in him.
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