Report: £27m player wanted to go to Newcastle even before PIF took over

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According to The Telegraph, Arsenal defender William Saliba was keen on joining Newcastle on loan this summer.

The Telegraph report that Newcastle were his first choice this summer as he was keen to prove himself in the Premier League.

However, towards the end of the window, Marseille came in strongly for Saliba and he ended up returning to his native France.

It’s interesting to see that Saliba was keen to head to Newcastle on loan even before the recent takeover from PIF, and this is a loan signing that the Magpies may well end up regretting missing out on.

Indeed, Saliba has been excellent in France this season. He’s been earning all sorts of plaudits and he’s even been compared to Virgil van Dijk.

Newcastle have serious problems in their defence at the moment, and it’s hard to believe that a £27m European Golden Boy nominee wouldn’t have been able to alleviate some of the issues the Tyneside club have been facing.

Luckily though, the January window is just around the corner and if reports are to be believed, the Magpies are in for James Tarkowski from Burnley, who will certainly help shore up that backline.

However though, even if Tarkowski does arrive, we can’t help but feel that Saliba was a missed opportunity for the St James’ Park outfit and a mistake that they may well end up regretting.