Arsenal: This can’t be the end of William Saliba, can it?

The rumor mill got all of Arsenal nation jazzed up about William Saliba, but unlike other transfer negotiations, this one already looks dead in the water.

Just a few days ago, there was talk about how teenage Saint-Étienne phenom William Saliba was Arsenal‘s answer to the departing Laurent Koscielny. You can’t get much higher praise than that here in North London. Koscielny is a living legend, and what he did this year was truly remarkable.

When the chatter first started, I was asking questions – an 18-year-old replacing Koscielny? That’s a big ask. Even when Koscielny first came over from Lorient, it’s not like he was a stone-cold killer right away. It took time. Time that the Gunners don’t have to spare right now, not on the defense anyway.

But that’s how highly this young man was valued. He’s a physical specimen, standing taller than all of our current defenders, and has shown up in a big way in Ligue 1, so the £25m valuation wasn’t even a surprise.

Now, though, the transfer looks to be all but dead because of one simple snafu – Saint-Étienne want Saliba immediately back on loan, which the Gunners, obviously, don’t have the time or the resources to afford.

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In steps Manchester City. The great gobblers of everything. The Bayern Munich of England. Give them all your talent and they’ll at least use some of them.

Of course, City have already spent about £2.7billion on repairing their leaky defenses, so what’s another £25m for a player that they don’t even have to provide a roster spot for yet? They can just stamp their name on him, send him right back to Saint-Étienne and, y’now, see what happens. It could be something, it could be nothing, that’s how important it is.

The thing about all the transfer rumors thus far, whether it be Dennis Praet and Joachim Andersen, Alex Claude-Marnice or (insert other transfer target), the Gunners have not accepted a rejection, and submitted follow-ups and improved offers. All hinting at getting deals done.

But after that snag with Saliba, there’s been no follow-up. No carry-on. Manchester City walked in, claimed the rumor for their own, and that could well be the last we hear of Saliba.

It’s a shame, because if ever there was a time for an 18-year-old to become our star centerback, this would be that time. I don’t think we, as fans, would be opposed to anything new on defense.