Saint-Etienne manager Claude Puel has told L’Equipe that Arsenal defender William Saliba wanted to join his team this summer.
The 19-year-old defender spent the 2019-20 campaign on loan at Saint-Etienne from Arsenal.
According to WhoScored, the teenager made 11 starts and one substitute appearance in Ligue 1 last season.
Saliba was on loan at Saint-Etienne in 2019-20 as part of a deal that saw him officially become an Arsenal player on a permanent deal in the summer of 2019.
Puel told L’Equipe, as translated by Inside Futbol: “We tried. He had a great desire to join us. The club are a bit like family and friends [to him]. His adaptation would have been instant.
“This would have happened if all the conditions had met. It had to remain consistent with our finances and his contract, particularly for the management.”
What now for William Saliba?
Arsenal have quite a few central defenders on their books, and the North London club also signed Gabriel in the summer transfer window.
Although Saliba is a very good and promising young defender, he is only 19 years of age and is not ready to play week in and week out for the Gunners’ first team.
However, working with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and learning from the likes of David Luiz will make the defender a better and more mature player in the coming weeks and months.
Perhaps in the January transfer window, Arsenal could look again at Saliba’s situation and send him out on loan to a club in the Premier League or in the Championship.
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