Some Arsenal fans on social media are loving what Mikel Arteta has said about William Saliba in his pre-match press conference.
Understandably, Saliba was a hot topic in the press conference after he left the club on loan earlier this week, and despite there being reports that he has no future at Arsenal, Arteta has assured everyone he’s still a part of the club’s long-term plans.
“I know that sometimes it is difficult to explain or understand after the money the club spent bringing him in, sending him on loan, but a lot of things have happened to him, he is a long-term player for us and we need to protect him as well,” Arteta said, as quoted on Arsenal’s official website.
“Giving him three or four games is not enough for him, he needs much more than that but what has happened over the past 18 months, he has gone through some personal problems as well that we have to try to help him, and stay as close as possible to him, and now he needs to play, play and play and enjoy his profession as well.”
As you can imagine, fans were happy to hear Arteta speak about Saliba in this way.
The French defender arrived at the Gunners for a big fee, and he was very highly rated when he joined, but here we are 18 months down the line and he’s yet to make his debut.
Understandably, his lack of action did lead to some concern about his future, but it seems as though he’s still very highly thought of at Arsenal.
Arteta seems to have been very understanding about Saliba’s personal problems as well, which is great to see, and hopefully a return to his home country will help him develop as a player.
Here’s what the Arsenal fanbase have been saying about Arteta’s comments on Saliba…
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