Arsenal will be sitting down with William Saliba to hold talks over his future at the club. The 20-year-old signed a 5-year deal with Arsenal in 2019 ahead of a £27million move. However, it’s been 3 years and the youngster is yet to feature for the Gunners. He has spent all of those three years on loan with Saint-Etienne, OGC Nice, and Marseille.
Saliba has been very crucial for Marseille this season playing at the heart of the defence. He has made 37 appearances for the club this season. He has only been on the bench twice for Marseille which shows how important he has been for the club. However, not playing for Arsenal even once has concerned his representatives.
According to Goal, Arsenal are set to open talks with the player and his representative to discuss his future. The Frenchman received his first National call-up after Benjamin Pavard had to withdraw due to COVID-19. Arsenal still sees Saliba as an important member of the squad but not playing for the club in three years tells another story to the player’s representatives.
Why Arsenal Still Consider Saliba as an Essential Part of the Club?
William Saliba has a stature of 6’3″ which is a proper build for a centre-back. However, he is widely known for his ability to read the game and could actually improve his aerial duels. Saliba likes to follow his man and come out of his position while being aggressive to win the ball back. He is very intelligent in placing himself to get close to opponents and then win the ball back.
Although Saliba is very aggressive and proactive in winning the ball, he rarely commits fouls while trying to get the ball back. However, because of his aggressive gameplay, a skilful winger can get past him easily and can have a run at loads of space left behind by Saliba. He needs to learn when to follow his man and when to maintain the formation.
However, he has to improve at dealing with situations in the air. He often mistimes his jumps which could be very costly for his teams. This is also the case when he acts as an attacker for set-pieces. On the other hand, he is very comfortable in possession and can bypass the opposition midfield with his passing. Moreover, he is also very good while facing a counter or when he finds himself in a 1v1 situation.
Should the Gunners let Saliba go or Include him in Their Project?
Despite being just 20 years of age, Saliba has become a key player for Marseille. Arsenal currently need good depth in their squad to compete with the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. They have three centre-backs who play regularly and could need a fourth centre-back from next season.
Arsenal will be competing in more competitions next season and will possibly be challenging for trophies. Therefore, they will need that depth and variety in the squad that all the big teams have. William Saliba is a different type of centre-back than what Arsenal already have. Moreover, he still has a lot of time in his hand to improve and become a better player.
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The next step for Arsenal will be very important as they build the foundation this season. They will challenge for trophies next season and Saliba could be a very important part of the team in cup competitions. Similar to how Liverpool are treating Konate, Saliba can be an occasional starter in the league while being a regular starter in cup competitions.
Arsenal should plan to keep Saliba for a longer term but will need to give him some game time next season. If that is not the case, Saliba’s representative might start looking for another club. The 20-year-old does have a profile that could easily attract interest from other clubs and it could be a mistake on Arsenal’s part to let him go.
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