William Saliba has once again risked the wrath of Mikel Arteta by suggesting that the Arsenal manager did not give him enough playing time to prove himself before being loaned out last month.
The 19-year-old Saliba joined the Premier League team a year and a half ago but has yet to make a single competitive first-team appearance for the Gunners.
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William Saliba wanted to stay at Arsenal rather than go on loan this season
The French defender, who spent last season at former Saint-Etienne, played for Arsenal’s Under-23s and in pre-season friendlies before signing for Nice until the end of the 2020/21 campaign on January 4.
“He judged me in two and a half games,” Saliba told RMC.
“I would have liked him to play more with me.
“But she told me that she wasn’t ready. I was hoping he would give me a chance, but football is like that ”.
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Saliba has yet to appear at Arsenal and has yet to do enough to impress Arteta
The north London team spent £ 27 million to sign Saliba in 2019, but was left out of the club’s squad for the Premier League and Europa League this season.
Speaking at his official opening in Nice in early January, Saliba said: “My first six months were difficult, because I came from six months where I couldn’t train because I was at home and I couldn’t train outside, I couldn’t play.
“I got there when the league season was ending, so I was training alone.
“As soon as they came back from vacation, we quickly had the first friendly matches where I lacked rhythm and was a bit physically insufficient.
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Arteta said that the decision to return to loan to Saliba was vital for the development of the young man
“The coach immediately told me that he was not ready. At least I would have liked the opportunity to rediscover my rhythm. But this is football, it’s like that ”.
While Saliba’s comments are not believed to be malicious or a direct complaint towards Arteta, the Spaniard is unlikely to like them.
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