William Saliba’s loan away from Arsenal looks to be gathering pace.
The 20-year-old defender is heavily expected to follow Matteo Guendouzi to Marseille on a season-long loan agreement.
According to La Provence in France, the Arsenal centre-back, who hasn’t kicked a ball for the Gunners despite joining two years ago, could be confirmed as a Marseille player by Monday.
Good news, bad news
The bad news is that a lot of Arsenal fans think the world of Saliba and would love to see Mikel Arteta give him a chance to prove himself.
After all, if he hasn’t had a chance – which he literally hasn’t – then how can the Emirates Stadium club be sure as to what they’re doing?
But the good news is that Arsenal chief Edu will NOT be including an option-to-buy clause in their deal with the Ligue 1 club [La Provence].
And this is a very smart decision because Saliba is still only 20 and may yet develop into the monstrous central defender that he has the potential to be.
And what a horrific bit of business it would be if the Gunners – who spent £27 million on the lad – wind up making a loss on the player, because that’s what would happen if they give the Ligue 1 side an option to sign him outright in 12 months.
No doubt some fans of the Emirates Stadium club will be upset by seeing the youngster leave once again.
But this reported refusal to insert an option-to-buy clause indicates that Arsenal still believe he could be an asset on the field and that represents some hope.
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