Samir Nasri has been speaking to Marseille on YouTube about William Saliba, who is impressing away from Arsenal.
What’s the story?
Well, the £27m Arsenal man – signed by Unai Emery – was given to Marseille on a season-long loan back in July, where he is thriving.
After Mikel Arteta deemed him surplus to requirements, the Frenchman has made 12 appearances in all competitions under Jorge Sampaoli.
Most recently, Saliba put his name in the headlines with an imperious display against Paris Saint-Germain.
The 20-year-old helped Marseille to a 0-0 draw, keeping a clean sheet against Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
After that display, Nasri said: “He has all the qualities to play in the Premier League. He’s well built, quick & a good passer of the ball too. I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be in Arsenal’s team.”
We can’t help but agree.
On the evidence of his display against PSG, Saliba looked like he would fit right in at the Emirates Stadium.
How will Arsenal handle William Saliba situation?
If the plan is to get Saliba involved ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, it will be interesting to see if Saliba cooperates.
After all, the centre-back somewhat hit out at Arteta for ‘judging’ him on just two-and-a-half matches, before offloading him.
As quoted by the Independent, Saliba said: “He judged me on two-and-a-half matches. I would have liked for him to play me more. But he told me I wasn’t ready.”
The Gunners also took his No.4 shirt away from him and gave it to Ben White, which potentially could’ve upset the Frenchman even more.
Of course, it makes sense to loan a youngster out so they can gain experience, but Arsenal have not done all they can to keep him happy.
As a result, whether he still wants a future at the Emirates Stadium, in our view, remains to be seen.
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