Arsenal defender William Saliba has opened up on his tough period at the Emirates and what it was like to go without a game for six months.
The defender joined Arsenal from Saint-Etienne in a £27m deal back in July 2019 but spent that season out on loan with the French club.
He returned in June 2020 and was expected to be given his chance in the first team, but that didn’t happen, with him instead being left on the sidelines as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta preferred other options.
His situation became something of a contentious one at the Emirates, with many questioning why he wasn’t being given his chance, particularly when Arsenal’s defence was hardly shining.
He was subsequently loaned out to Nice in the January transfer window last year before being shipped out to Marseille on a season-long loan deal this year.
He’s been impressive for the Ligue 1 side since his arrival, which has obviously raised more questions about why he wasn’t given a fair shot by Arsenal.
That’s all in the past for now, although the 20-year-old has opened up about the situation in a chat with Eurosport.
“Of course, there are times when it’s hard,” Foot Mercato report him saying.
“You don’t even play a game for six months. You tell yourself that football is a difficult sport.
“You mustn’t give up, you have to fight. It should not be taken negatively. It must serve as a mental lesson to go further.
“It gives you a little slap to remind you that you’re nobody. I feed on it. I know what it’s like not to play for six months.”
