Saliba’s Arsenal future in greater doubt after France call
Robin Bairner
- 21 Mar 2022 20:27 GMT
- 3 min read
Arsenal defender William Saliba has been handed his first international call up for France – despite having failed to make his debut with the Gunners three years after arriving at the club.
Salba was billed as the next big thing in French football when he arrived at the Emirates in 2019 from Saint-Etienne. A loan deal back to Ligue 1 was deemed the logical step at that point, but subsequent temporary deals at Nice and now Marseille have followed without the 20-year-old getting a look in at Arsenal.
The centre-back has been in fine form this season, though, and has earned a call up to the world champions following the withdrawal of Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard because of injury.
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Whereas in previous seasons there has been a clamour to get Saliba back at Arsenal playing, he has become something of a forgotten man at the Gunners this time around because of the excellent form of Ben White and Gabriel.
His call up to France, though, has suddenly brought Saliba back into the picture and, in the short term at least, could further complicate the relationship between player and club.
Saliba’s uneasy time at Arsenal
Although Saliba has starred at Marseille and appears to be delighted with the choice he made in moving to Stade Velodrome, it is unlikely that the Ligue 1 club has the means to sign him on a permanent basis. As a result, he will probably not be joining fellow Gunners loanee Matteo Guendouzi in staying in the south of France.
With just a couple of years left on his deal at Arsenal, though, the London club will have to carefully consider their next steps.
Goal reports that there have been no talks between the parties regarding a new contract but discussions are planned for the weeks ahead.
These are likely to be complicated for Arsenal. Saliba’s market value and own sense of esteem (and therefore wage demands) will have risen thanks to his call up to France, while other clubs will increasingly be noting his performances in Ligue 1. His leverage his just improved dramatically.
Although the Gunners have publicly insisted that Saliba is part of their long-term thinking, that has not been reflected in their actions and there has appeared to be a rift between the player and manager Mikel Arteta in the past.
Rather than helping Arsenal retain Saliba’s services, his call to France will have shown him there is life away from the Emirates, and despite his good form, he remains as far away from ever from a Gunners debut.
