Arsenal signed William Saliba last year but sent the defender back on loan at St Etienne to develop and gain more first-team experience.
Unai Emery gave the go-ahead for the signing of William Saliba. The young defender has matured in the year he was sent back on loan at St Etienne. However, Emery will be unable to call on his services.
The Spaniard is at the helm of Villarreal now and Mikel Arteta will profit from his addition. Arteta has stabilized the club and added the FA Cup to the trophy cabinet at the Emirates Stadium.
Saliba joins a happier Arsenal squad that is targeting greater glory in the coming season.
Alan Smith is pleased with his addition to the roster and expects great things to come from the defender. However, the job is not done and the Gunners need more reinforcements.
“With a few quid to spend, another central defender must be on the cards. This area, in fact, is the most interesting of all. Will William Saliba, for instance, be given an early chance after finally coming over from Saint Etienne?,” the Leeds United youth academy graduated told Sky Sports.
“Saliba, by all accounts, has tremendous potential as a classy defender in the Virgil van Dijk mold. I can just imagine Arteta on that training ground, working hard with the 19-year-old to instill good habits.”
Smith questioned whether Saliba will be able to force his way into the starting eleven from the get-go.
“Depending on how that goes, we might see the Frenchman let loose early on. Next to whom is another matter though,” Smith added.
“Will Arteta continue with three at the back, a system that helped bring about such huge improvement?”
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