William Saliba (Out)

[<<reed>>]

Good move for the young lad, glad we aren't selling him...he will be a good back up player to Gabriel and Holding in the future for us.

Stop being naive, Saliba is sold next summer if Arteta is still at Arsenal.

 

[Harz]

It's better to get playing time than rot in reserves -- no need for a loan fee.

However, is he really not better than Holding & Mari?

 

[El Duderino]

Hopes this ends up being a nice loan for him.

 

[14Henry]

Hopefully they are paying his wages. Or at least half of them.

Back Saliba goes to France as predicted. He will come back again with worse English than he left with and having to adapt and adjust again to English football.

Hopefully he has brilliant 6 months and PSG decide they want him. Let him stay comfortable in France and put it down as a mistake.

 

[14Henry]

I think something we forget, and me too, is that Saliba is much younger than Gabriel, nearly 4 years younger. When Gabriel was Saliba's age he was making a handful of appearances on loan at Troyes and Dinamo Zagreb, he was a nobody really.

Obviously in the context of what Saliba had already done at St Etienne we were right to expect more involvement from him, he was well ahead of most normal 18-19 year old CBs. But he's still a baby tbf, Gabriel is at a different stage of development and even he's still raw. Couldn't expect them to be a partnership from the get-go.

Like if Gabriel and Saliba ever do form a partnership it wouldn't reach it's peak until the latter half of this decade, or maybe even the end of the decade. Gotta be patient.

His 3 or 4 month older centre back partner is sitting towards the top of the league with Leicester. Age isn't important. Quality is.

 

[Goonger]

If Saliba had a good 6 months and convinced Arteta he was ready would you take Gabriel/Mari/Saliba/Holding as CB options next season? Seems decent to me but you could also argue it needs a bonafide experienced starting RCB.

If big Mavro impresses now he is fit at Stuttgart could add him in the mix as well. Although he's another I think they will cash in on than give a chance unfortunately.

 

[MikelHadADream]

If Saliba had a good 6 months and convinced Arteta he was ready would you take Gabriel/Mari/Saliba/Holding as CB options next season? Seems decent to me but you could also argue it needs a bonafide experienced starting RCB.

I'd still look for a PL proven CB center back to partner Gabriel in the short term, but it wouldn't be top of the agenda. I'd be looking at a forwards, midfield players and a right back before I'd address that position. I suspect a partner for Gabriel would be quite high on Arteta's agenda though.

 

[GDeep™]

Hold on.. Arsenal Mania told me he’d be sold to fund another CB???? :rofl::rofl:

Bunch of idiots on this forum, seriously.

Yeah in the summer.

 

[GDeep™]

I think only one guy said that. The same guy who was ‘jumping around’ because we beat West Brom.

I was jumping around because we scored that great second goal.

 

[Get These Hands]

We've treated him so badly. Not letting him play in that cup final, then leaving him on the scrap heap for 6 months. I bet he can't wait to get away from us.

 

[GDeep™]

We've treated him so badly. Not letting him play in that cup final, then leaving him on the scrap heap for 6 months. I bet he can't wait to get away from us.

He’ll agree a departure with the club in the summer. Arteta then can spend that 25-30M on some Spanish CB - everyone is happy.

 

[Goonger]

I'd still look for a PL proven CB center back to partner Gabriel in the short term, but it wouldn't be top of the agenda. I'd be looking at a forwards, midfield players and a right back before I'd address that position. I suspect a partner for Gabriel would be quite high on Arteta's agenda though.

Someone like Vestergaard a reasonable option? Will be 29 in the summer & going into his last year so should be available for a reasonable fee, improved greatly this season, EPL experience, great in the air?

 

[MikelHadADream]

Someone like Vestergaard a reasonable option? Will be 29 in the summer & going into his last year so should be available for a reasonable fee, improved greatly this season, EPL experience, great in the air?

Yeah I was thinking of him, but unfortunately I think he is left footed and plays to the left, where we already have Mari and Gabriel. I'd go for John Stones, but apparently he's going to sign a new deal at City.

 

[TornadoTed]

Once Gabriel signed and Luiz extended it was obvious that Saliba was barely going to feature this season. It was pure fantasy to think we were going to pair a 19 year old and a 22 year old with zero experience of English football. When you consider Mari was new to English football too it would have been extremely risky to integrate 3 players in the same position at the same time.

Then only 'mistake' for me is that he has lost 1/2 season of development, he should have been on loan somewhere for the entire season.

I hope he stays past the Summer as I think he has a real chance of playing a big role next season once Luiz, Sokratis, Mustafi and maybe Chambers and Mavro leave.

Gabriel and Mari will have had a season of English football under their belts also he will be coming in with a partner next to him who is already acclimatised to the league.

 

[HollandGooner]

What is wrong with this guy to be honest? we spend ****ing 35 million on him and he isnt capable of getting into the squad? good buy from Raul. we can complain about his age but when you are spending that amount of money on a young player he needs to be ready in some time.

And whats the point of loaning him out again in France? we need him to gain expierence in the EPL.

 

[OnlyOne]

Some of you lot are absolutely making a mountain out of a mole hill. It’s not that deep. He’s going on loan and will come back and feature next year, we’ll extend his contract.

He’s 19.

 

[TornadoTed]

What is wrong with this guy to be honest? we spend ****ing 35 million on him and he isnt capable of getting into the squad? good buy from Raul. we can complain about his age but when you are spending that amount of money on a young player he needs to be ready in some time.

And whats the point of loaning him out again in France? we need him to gain expierence in the EPL.

I think it is more down to circumstance than his ability. If he had of played with this season look at who he would have played with?

Gabriel of Mari who are new to the league themselves. Holding or Chambers coming back from 12 months out with ACL injuries. Mustafi who would in my opinion be a terrible mentor for a young player. Luiz was probably the only one of our central defenders who could have played alongside him without a lot of risk attached.

I think the club deemed it too risky to integrate him this season with so many question marks over most of the central defenders in our squad.

As I said above, if he is here next year which I think he will be we will have a far more settled group of defenders so he can be integrated with less risk and pressure.

 

[roz]

Some of you lot are absolutely making a mountain out of a mole hill. It’s not that deep. He’s going on loan and will come back and feature next year, we’ll extend his contract.

He’s 19.

Reported

 

[El Duderino]

He’s 19.

@Jack_The_Lad

 

[Goonger]

Yeah I was thinking of him, but unfortunately I think he is left footed and plays to the left, where we already have Mari and Gabriel. I'd go for John Stones, but apparently he's going to sign a new deal at City.

I think he can play either side, & looking at this YouTube clip vs City he seems comfortable on either foot.