Arsenal and William Saliba: Patience justified to secure the best

This weekend, Unai Emery stated that he is willing to wait for the best. Amid reports of Arsenal’s deal for William Sailba, it is a justified belief.

Arsenal’s pursuit of centre-back William Saliba is all but done. After a lengthy chase that took the duration of the summer transfer window, the two clubs and player have all come to an agreement. But there have been lots of bumps along the way.

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The primary sticking point has been Saliba and Saint-Etienne’s insistence that the 18-year-old spends next season on loan with the Ligue 1 club. The Gunners, understandably, were not too keen on spending £30 million on a player that they couldn’t use for a year, especially considering their vast problems at the centre-back position.

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But this weekend, it has become apparent that the deal has been agreed, Arsenal paying around £27 million in long-term instalments, many of which do not kick in until next summer, to sign Saliba this summer but not actually get him into the squad for another year. It is an odd deal, but it is nonetheless one that makes logical sense.

To explain, here is Unai Emery in his weekend’s press conference:

"“I am patient because we want to choose the best solution. Some players are very expensive and we are waiting for this possibility because we don’t want now to go to the second line of players. We are waiting and really we have very good young players. We are aware we also need to improve some areas in this squad. But I only want to sign three or four players only if we can be sure they are coming to improve our squad.”"

What Emery is essentially saying is that while it is frustrating to not have Saliba available for selection this season, he and the club believe that he is a special player, and as a result, they are willing to be patient. And that is sensible.

Saliba, at 18, is not being signed for the here and now. While he might well help Arsenal next season, should he make his way into the starting XI, which is more likely with Laurent Koscielny expected to depart after his tantrum, the purpose of the transfer is that he can be the anchor of the defence for the next decade, not that he can provide an instant impact and catapult the team back into the Champions League.

So if Emery, Raul Sanllehi and those that have scouted Saliba believe he is a special player, which he has been advertised as, doing everything they can to make sure that he is an Arsenal player without having to enter into a wild bidding way next summer is a sensible move, even if they must sacrifice the centre-back position for a year.

The bigger question is whether Saliba really is special. For now, that is something that no one can determine. But if he does turn out to be the player that Arsenal are hoping and expecting him to be, this transfer will be a steal. Even with a year to wait, should Saliba be the best, Emery’s patience would be justified.