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Arsenal's decision to loan their young centre-back William Saliba has paid off well as he is having a great season at Olympique Marseille. The French club are also very impressed with the 20-year-old's performance and are interested in buying him permanently next season.
But according to L'Equipe, the Gunners reportedly want Saliba back at the Emirates next season.
Back in 2019, Arsenal signed 20-year-old William Saliba from French club Saint-Etienne for a fee of £27m. Signing the left-footed centre-back was a win for the Gunners as he was linked with the Manchester clubs and Tottenham Hotspur as well. However, former Gunners manager Unai Emery was able to convince Saliba to join his squad in north London instead.
However, William Saliba's move to north London soon turned sour. He was unable to get first-team action and the change in managers made matters worse for him.
The French centre-back has been loaned to several clubs since but has been unable to make a big impression in Europe so far. Gunners' fans were frustrated with the situation as he was considered a future starter for the club.
During the start of the 2021-22 season, Mikel Arteta decided to send William Saliba on a loan spell to the French club Olympique Marseille. Six months into his loan spell, Saliba has improved his performances for Marseille.
The French centre-back has made a total of 16 league appearances for OM and the Gunners have slowly started to regain interest in Saliba. With enough game time under his belt, Saliba has gained confidence and looks solid at the back.
Marseille are also impressed with Saliba's performance and are interested in buying the player from Arsenal in the coming season. However, as per the latest reports from L'Equipe, the Gunners are set to disappoint Marseille.
Arteta want William Saliba be part of their squad next season. The Gunners are happy with the performance of the 20-year-old but will allow the player to fulfill his current loan spell.
Arsenal suffers shock exit from the FA Cup
In what was a huge upset, Nottingham Forest defeated Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup. Fans were left stunned by the performance of the Gunners as the club weren't able to break down the Nottingham Forest defence. Lewis Grabban scored the only goal for Nottingham Forest, which was enough to knockout the Gunners from the FA Cup.
This defeat against a Championship side will hugely affect the morale of the team. However, Mikel Arteta will have to motivate his squad to play better when they step back on the pitch. The Gunners will have to work hard in their next game as they take on Liverpool in the semifinals of the Carabao Cup.
