Arsenal boss reveals his plans for new signing William Saliba

Willaim Saliba, Saint-Etienne (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Willaim Saliba, Saint-Etienne (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Arsenal fans have been dying to see the new signing in action…

If there is one thing that Arsenal fans know already about Mikel Arteta being manager, it’s that he’s not the kind to throw new signings in unless he knows they can immensely benefit the starting XI, much like Thomas Partey has since arriving from Atletico Madrid.

However, one player who is yet to have his breakthrough under Arteta is William Saliba. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, of course, given it wasn’t him that signed Saliba and instead it was the previous manager Unai Emery. Still, Saliba has been used in pre-season and a number of Arsenal’s youth matches.

According to a new report from Daily Mail, Mikel Arteta is open to the option of sending the young Frenchman out on loan this January. I assume this would mean Arteta wants to see more of Saliba before committing to him in the starting XI, which can be understood.

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Mikel Arteta seems to prefer a defensive partnership of Gabriel Magalhaes and David Luiz, which just appears to work almost perfectly. That said, you can understand why he is reluctant to start William Saliba because, as the old saying goes, why fix something that’s not broken?

The Europa League would be the perfect opportunity for Saliba to get some minutes on the pitch but, of course, he needs more than this in order to develop. That said, if he can impress the boss between now and January, then I’m certain Arteta will look to reconsider his stance on the Frenchman.

Saliba showed plenty of potential at Saint Etienne as he was known as one of the best young defenders in France. He is a no-nonsense kind of player which is rare for people of his age. This is exactly what Arsenal need in their backline should either Gabriel or Luiz become unavailable, so there is certainly room for the youngster.

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do you think Arsenal will send Saliba out on loan?