William Saliba (2)

[TedLasso]

So why’d we pay 30 mil three years ago for him?

30m for a 19 year old defensive prospect? Sounds like a classic Raul overpay to his buddies.

[Zenith]

If you watched Saliba with Nice and then watched him with Marseille, you'd know Sampaoli did an excellent job developing him last season. To frame it as Saliba has been this good all along and Arteta didn't recognize it is disingenuous at best and frankly unfair to the work Saliba put in himself last year.

He would've improved with us as well and we would've benefited from it. Not nice or Marseille but Arteta f***ked up.

One loan is understandable but there was no need for the other 2. That's all down to him not being an Arteta signing and our managers ego coming before the club

Saliba showed him and Arteta is eating humble pie

Absolutely spot on, the last 2 loans were not needed and, those last 2 loans should have been to English clubs so he can get experience playing on this league, not the French league !

Straight from the horse's mouth -

I’m the one who chose Marseille. Arsenal preferred that I go to England, but I knew that here was the right choice. I pushed and pushed for it. Marseille is one of the best clubs in France, with a lot of fervour in the city and the country. You need to sweat for the shirt when you’re here.
—William Saliba

All good and well wanting to send a player out on loan to a certain league/club, but if the player himself declines the proposal and insists on joining a suitor that plays in a different league, you can't legally force his hand. (And rightly so.) In Arsenal's case, the club could either have sent Saliba out on loan to Marseille or they could have kept the player.

[TedLasso]

The thing is, objectively the loan worked. Arsenal sent the kid off to boarding school for a year and came back a man. If the rumors of an extension already being signed are true, it's going to be hard to convince me that the move to Marseille was anything but a success.

[Ach]

I don't think 2nd and third loan were needed at all be it in France or England.

Should've been integrated in to the team like Fofana at Leicester.

[Highbury Hillbilly]

The thing is, objectively the loan worked. Arsenal sent the kid off to boarding school for a year and came back a man. If the rumors of an extension already being signed are true, it's going to be hard to convince me that the move to Marseille was anything but a success.

The loan has worked.....for Saliba's career prospects. He has been called up to the French NT, and is on other clubs' radar with Marseille finishing 2nd and him winning young POTY. He has all the leverage when it comes to contract talks.

We gain nothing if he doesn't renew.

[swipe right]

Barca will turn their attention to him if they miss out on Kounde. Read it in Metro so it must be true.

[theHotHead]

If you watched Saliba with Nice and then watched him with Marseille, you'd know Sampaoli did an excellent job developing him last season. To frame it as Saliba has been this good all along and Arteta didn't recognize it is disingenuous at best and frankly unfair to the work Saliba put in himself last year.

He would've improved with us as well and we would've benefited from it. Not nice or Marseille but Arteta f***ked up.

One loan is understandable but there was no need for the other 2. That's all down to him not being an Arteta signing and our managers ego coming before the club

Saliba showed him and Arteta is eating humble pie

Absolutely spot on, the last 2 loans were not needed and, those last 2 loans should have been to English clubs so he can get experience playing on this league, not the French league !

Straight from the horse's mouth -

I’m the one who chose Marseille. Arsenal preferred that I go to England, but I knew that here was the right choice. I pushed and pushed for it. Marseille is one of the best clubs in France, with a lot of fervour in the city and the country. You need to sweat for the shirt when you’re here.
—William Saliba

All good and well wanting to send a player out on loan to a certain league/club, but if the player himself declines the proposal and insists on joining a suitor that plays in a different league, you can't legally force his hand. (And rightly so.) In Arsenal's case, the club could either have sent Saliba out on loan to Marseille or they could have kept the player.

But surely as the owning club its our decision where he goes and surely the priority would be to go to a club/league that will benefit us. We still have no clue as to how Saliba will do in the Premier League as a result of him going to Marseille. Also surely the club know the best way to develop players - over what the player himself knows.

[theHotHead]

The thing is, objectively the loan worked. Arsenal sent the kid off to boarding school for a year and came back a man. If the rumors of an extension already being signed are true, it's going to be hard to convince me that the move to Marseille was anything but a success.

We don't know if it has worked because he has not kicked a football in the Premier League yet, he may not be suited to the pace and physicality.

[TedLasso]

The thing is, objectively the loan worked. Arsenal sent the kid off to boarding school for a year and came back a man. If the rumors of an extension already being signed are true, it's going to be hard to convince me that the move to Marseille was anything but a success.

We don't know if it has worked because he has not kicked a football in the Premier League yet, he may not be suited to the pace and physicality.

Fair play but it doesn't take much to see that boy nice. Only question is whether he got that dawg in him.

[theHotHead]

Lets hope so, if we have, his price shoots up to VVD levels straight away - not that I would want to sell him!!

[Highbury Hillbilly]

Lets hope so, if we have, his price shoots up to VVD levels straight away - not that I would want to sell him!!

Unless he signs an extension, his sale value has nowhere to go but down.

[theHotHead]

I forgot about that!!

Arteta = Dyam Fool Man (if you know you know)

[alexafc12]

Callum and PG wrote this guy off.

However the Goonerworld faithful knew all along he was the dogs bollocks.

Top performance tonight.

[TedLasso]

That boy nice.

[swipe right]

Who played RB, Saliba or White? I didn’t see the game and can’t determine from news reports. Thanks.