Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta went down a heedful route with William Saliba but also admits if he waited for the Frenchman longer, it would have backfired.
Arteta joked about the fact that he would have faced the rage of supporters if he had not given Saliba his chance at Arsenal. The Frenchman was signed in 2019 and had to wait three years to make his Premier League Debut. At the start of the season, there was doubt over his ability.
ARTETA EXPLAIN WHY HE LEFT SALIBA OUT OF THE SQUAD
The Spanish manager left him out of the squad for the 2020/21 season. Saliba was loaned back to Nice but he had a fantastic season with Marseille last year. Arteta recently said in Press-conference before the Bournemouth match:-
“I was 100 per cent sure that I was going to have a lot of pressure externally to give him the opportunity,
“Then it was the perfect storm and a beautiful relationship started to build.”
However, Saliba made a great start to Arsenal’s career. He has emerged as one of the best defenders in the Premier League this season. Arteta admits the youngster had to first pass the test to prove his worth in the field.
“I just wanted to see… how he was because then you can understand the real him,
“How the player is going to reintegrate into our dynamic after being out for so long. Is there some frustration there, something personal between, for example, between me and the player because he could not understand that?”
Arteta further claimed:-
“I’m going to prove that I’m very good and I deserve to be here’. Without looking back, or being shy – he was doing it the right way.”
Saliba and Gabriel formed a perfect partnership the centre of the defense and were the flag bearer of Arsenal’s title challenge.
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