Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told The London Evening Standard that he thinks defender William Saliba is adapting well at the club.
The Gunners splashed the cash to sign Saliba last summer, but allowed him to return to St Etienne for the duration of last season.
That allowed Saliba to play first-team football in France, before finally starting his Arsenal career this summer.
The 19-year-old was signed under Unai Emery, but it’s now Arteta who will be overseeing Saliba’s development – and the Spaniard has commented on the teenager.
Arteta has admitted that he thinks Saliba is ‘doing really well’ at Arsenal, and is adapting well to English football and Arsenal’s style.
Arteta added that Arsenal are taking it easy on Saliba after a number of injuries last season, but he is going to be important for the club’s future.
“I think William is doing really well. He is adapting to the country, adapting to our club,” said Arteta. “We have to bear in mind that he had a really challenging season last year with the amount of injuries that he had.”
“But he is a player that is going to be really important in our future. Things sometimes take some time and we have to respect that,” he added.
Arsenal take on Leicester City in the Carabao Cup this evening,, and that could be the ideal time for Saliba to make his competitive debut for Arsenal, with Arteta’s comments possibly a pre-cursor to naming him in the starting lineup.
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