Attempting to think back to an Arsenal loan player who was focused on as much as William Saliba is a struggle.
The French defender joined Arsenal in 2019 for a significant fee but is yet to make his senior debut for the club after struggling to convince Mikel Arteta he was ready to start for the club. Three loan moves later, of which currently Saliba finds himself with Marseille in Ligue 1, and the 20-year-old has done everything he can so far to change Arteta’s mind.
He has just won his third player of the month award since signing temporarily for OM. However, when his loan with the French side comes to an end in June, he faces a task still to get regular game time in the Arsenal first team.
This is not down to Saliba in particular but the impressive displays of both Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Both signed by Arsenal in the last two years, they have become an unbreakable paring under Arteta and ousted Rob Holding from the team swiftly. Pablo Mari is also away on loan, frustrated by a lack of opportunity.
However, plenty of Arsenal supporters want to see Saliba given a chance next season. One of the reasons behind this is a fear of losing him with just two years on his contract come to the end of this season.
football.london understands that it is the intention of Saliba to return and fight for his place in the squad, and Arsenal will want to secure the player’s future having invested so much in him already.
There is however a lingering bias against the player most likely to be in his way of first-team action, Ben White.
The defender has struggled in some fixtures this season, notably the opening match with Brentford and the League Cup semi-final second leg defeat to Liverpool.
However, beyond these matches, White has been a brilliant addition to the squad and is working hard to justify his record-level transfer fee. £50 million is the most the club have invested in a defender and after just one season in the Premier League White had plenty of doubters.
Yet, his passing and confidence on the ball, in addition to his defensive recoveries have been great to watch. White is far above the players like Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos who would give fans regular scares at the back.
White, who has been combined with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Aaron Ramsdale by Mikel Arteta and Edu, has contributed massively to the improved defensive stability of the side.
Fans should stop pitting White and Saliba against one another. It should be an exciting prospect that next season sees Arsenal have three of the best young centre-halves in the Premier League available for selection.
With European football looking increasingly likely too, having a strong strength in depth will be crucial.
White, Saliba and Gabriel could even form a back three in certain fixtures, a prospect I for one would be excited to see put into practice. Giving the opportunity for Arsenal’s wide areas to flourish with the support of wing-backs.
It is a good thing that William Saliba’s return to the Arsenal squad is being made difficult. A 20-year-old waltzing into the Arsenal side, one with established areas in need of development, would be a warning sign for sure.
White and Gabriel’s presence should be seen as a positive and if the Englishman wins out in the end, it should be because Arsenal will be better for it in the long term. Hopefully, Arteta can strike the balance of opportunity between the trio.
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