William Saliba has revealed it was always his plan to come back to Arsenal this summer and he wants to win “everything” with the club.
Saliba joined Arsenal in the summer of 2019 for £27million from Saint-Etienne, but he has only broken into the first team now.
The 21-year-old was linked with a move away from Arsenal as a result, however he has stated how he always wanted to come back.
“When I was on loan it helped motivate me every day knowing that Arsenal were watching me, were in touch with me, and that soon I would be back here,” Saliba told Arsenal’s match-day programme.
“My objective was always to come back and play here, so I knew I had to fight and work a lot while I was away from the club if I wanted to come back.
“Somebody from the club was in touch with me every week, giving me advice, encouraging me and I knew they were supporting me, even though I was in France.
“Also having the love of the fans behind me while I was on loan was very special for me and helped me a lot. I saw some of it on social media of course, and it made it easier for me to play.
“I want to give the fans something back now, to thank them for their support.
“Now I want to win everything. I want to help the club to come back to the very top. I will give everything for this club to help us get back there. It has been hard for me as well at times at Arsenal, not playing all the time, but sometimes sport is like this.
“You don’t only have good moments - it’s part of life. That’s all in the past. Now I’m just focused on the present and on the future. I want to do my best for Arsenal and keep improving and working hard every day.”
Speaking about joining Arsenal in 2019, Saliba said: “This is a special club. You know that when Arsenal is interested in you, you are going to be very happy.
“There was no decision to make - you don’t need to make a reflection - it was an easy choice. As soon as I knew Arsenal wanted me, I wanted to come here.”
