Arsenal announced the signing of Auston Trusty from the Colorado Rapids on January transfer deadline day, and we think that it could worry William Saliba even more.
Trusty is a central defender who is only 23 years of age.
The American youngster will stay on loan at the Rapids until the end of the 2022 and will then move to Arsenal.
Arsenal have said on their official website that they then plan to send Trusty out on loan to a club in mainland Europe for the 2022-23 season.
The Gunners are clearly planning for Trusty for the long term.
And, in our view, that is a worry for Saliba.
Auston Trusty a threat to William Saliba at Arsenal
We know that the defender has failed to make any impact at Arsenal whatsoever since the Gunners shelled out £27 million for him (The Guardian).
Saliba was at Arsenal for the first half of last season and could not impress manager Mikel Arteta.
The 20-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Nice before moving to Marseille on loan in the summer of 2021.
Saliba is scheduled to return to Arsenal in the summer of 2022, but he must surely be wondering if he has a long-term future at the Gunners at all.
Especially as Arsenal have signed yet another centre-back.
Now, of course, Trusty is not an immediate threat to Saliba in terms of a place in the Arsenal team.
However, with Ben White and Gabriel having established themselves as the two main centre-backs at Arsenal, it is going to be extremely tough for Saliba to break into the team next season.
And now the French youngster will have to look over his shoulders and worry about the threat from Trusty for 2023-24 and beyond.
Yes, competition is important for all players and for all squad, but footballers, especially young ones, need some of assurance and a run in the team to do well.
Will Saliba get that at Arsenal?
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