Saliba speaks out on Arsenal future
FT Desk
- 20 Sept 2022 19:30 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal star William Saliba has underlined his commitment to the Gunners amid reports he is set to sign a lucrative new contract at the Emirates Stadium.
Saliba, 21, has had to be patient in his wait to break through in north London.
Having arrived at the club from Saint-Etienne in 2019 as a teenager, the defender failed to make a single first-team appearances in any of his first three seasons.
He instead divided his time between Arsenal's Under-23 side and a succession of loan spells, growing ever more frustrated at being sidelined.
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The current season, however, has proved a different story.
Saliba has started all seven of Arsenal's Premier League matches to date in 2022-23 and has been a crucial figure as the Gunners have stormed to the top of the table with six wins and a draw.
His current deal is up in June 2024 and the young France international now has no intention of playing anywhere else.
"I'm at home here," he told Sky Sports.
"I like London, I like the club, I like everything. I feel at home here."
Playing through the pain
Saliba netted his second goal of the Premier League season at the weekend during Arsenal's 3-0 defeat of Brentford, despite carrying an injury which manager Mikel Arteta revealed severely hampered his preparations for the match.
"He's been superb," Arteta told Sky Sports.
"He hasn't trained for 10 days. He had some discomfort, he's been hanging, he only had one training session and he comes in and competes the way he's done it.
"As well, the ugly part of the game that people won't recognise too much. It's true, he deserves some credit."
