Speaking on Telefoot La Chaine, former Arsenal full-back Mathieu Debuchy gave an answer when asked if William Saliba would re-join AS Saint-Etienne.
The Frenchman said: ‘William, we know his qualities. He was very impressive at St Etienne. Unfortunately for him at Arsenal the start didn’t go the way he wanted it to be I think. Yes, why not, he will be welcome and will have the advantage of knowing the club.’
The ex-Newcastle man was speaking after Canal+ (via Foot-Sur7) reported that Saliba is desperate to re-join the Ligue 1 side, having experienced a turbulent time in north London this season.
Signed by Unai Emery for £27 million in 2019, Saliba is yet to make his competitive debut for the Gunners, and was left out of the club’s Europa League squad by Mikel Arteta.
That is arguably the biggest blow, as the competition offers plenty of opportunities and has seen academy stars such as Folarin Balogun, Emile Smith Rowe and Joe Willock star recently.
It is understandable that Saliba might desire a move back to AS Saint-Etienne.
After all, the 19-year-old came through the French side’s academy, and most likely considers the club as home.
It was probably a blunder on Arteta’s part to keep the centre-back for this season.
The Spaniard has David Luiz, Rob Holding, Gabriel Magalhães, Pablo Mari, Sokratis, Calum Chambers and Shkodran Mustafi at his disposal, so it’s hardly like he needed another central defender.
It’s a real shame to see Saliba’s development stunted like this.
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