Loaned to Marseille for the season, William Saliba is expected to return to Arsenal at the end of the season since the French club don’t have an option to buy.
The Gunners starlet is having a great campaign in the south of France under Jorge Sampaoli, playing almost every game, which is exactly what Mikel Arteta and his staff will have wanted.
The big question is whether he would play at Arsenal next season, or whether he would end up on loan again, as few clubs in France, bar Paris Saint-Germain, would be able to afford a transfer fee.
Called up to the France national team for the first time this international break to replace Benjamin Pavard, Saliba was interviewed by RMC Sport, who asked him about his future, and if it could end up being at Marseille.
He replied: “No, but I’ve never hidden that I feel good here. I don’t know my future, there’s two months left, the most important is to qualify for the Champions League and to go as far as possible in the Conference League.
“I think there will be talks afterwards, end of May, beginning of June, with Arsenal and Marseille. We’ll decide at that point, but what’s certain is that continuing here wouldn’t be a bad idea. Quite the contrary. I know the city, my teammates, my manager, but that doesn’t only depend on me.”
Marseille have made it clear they want to keep Saliba going forward if they can, which the player is acutely aware of.
He added: “Yes, there you go, we’ll see how it goes, but it depends on Arsenal who need to give their agreement. We’ll see.”
The 20-year-old, since arriving at Marseille, has played 40 games in all competitions, starting pretty much every one of them, helping his side fight for second place in Ligue 1, most recently beating OGC Nice 2-1.
