Napoli have asked Arsenal for information about talented defender William Saliba, who came off a strong season with Olympique Marseille.
THE LOWDOWN: BELONG TO ARSENAL
The 21-year-old joined the Gunners from Saint-Etienne three years ago in a headline-grabbing £30m transfer, but is yet to make his competitive debut.
Upon taking over from Unai Emery, Mikel Arteta deemed the centre-half not ready for the rigours of English football and has sent the defender out on loan twice over the course of the last two-and-a-half years.
Saliba enjoyed a highly successful season at OM and helped Jorge Sampaoli’s side secure Champions League football, while he was named Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year.
The lure of Europe’s elite club competition led Saliba to suggest last month that he wanted to remain at Marseille, but Arteta insisted the plan was always to give the player an opportunity to impress at Arsenal.
Speaking to Telefoot (via Fabrizio Romano) this week, the young defender stated that he belongs to Arsenal, with just two years remaining on his current deal.
THE LATEST: ASK FOR INFO
As reported by Gianluigi Longari, Napoli have made an exploratory move for Saliba, asking Arsenal for information regarding the player and a possible deal.
THE VERDICT: A MUST KEEP
As things stand, it appears that the £27m-rated colossus will be playing for Arsenal next season though much can change over the coming weeks and months.
Considering Saliba’s remarkable potential and his valuable experience and performances picked up at Marseille last season, it is incredibly paramount Arteta keeps him at the club for the forthcoming future.
The Frenchman could well become one of the leading Arsenal centre-backs for years to come if provided with the opportunities and game-time his talents crave.
The French defender, dubbed “extraordinary” by his teammate and former Gunners midfielder Matteo Guendouzi and a “future great” by Marseille boss Jorge Sampaoli, enjoyed a sensational campaign at the Stade Veladrome picking up an impressive average score rating of 7.06 from SofaScore, the fourth-best ranked player in the side.
And the amazing talents shown in France last season is one Arsenal will be desperate to possess. Recording the eighth-most passes into the final third (184) amongst all Ligue 1 players, the fifth-most progressive carries (243) and the most touches of any player (3351), Saliba has showcased that he is not afraid to dictate proceedings from deep.
With Arteta hoping to evolve his side’s game next season, harnessing the abilities of the Bondy-born wonderkid could certainly provide more variation and quality to the Spaniard’s game plans in abundance.
AND in other news, “I’m on course”: Arsenal defender set to be back for start of pre-season in major boost for Arteta…