Arsenal: Pros & Cons of William Saliba Loan Move to Nice

William Saliba is leaving Arsenal for Ligue 1 this month.

The decision will spark heated discussions from fans who continue to be aggrieved about how William Saliba‘s career at Arsenal has led to this point. However, there is no space for surprise as the writing has been firmly on the wall for months.

Ever since the summer where the paperwork was not completed in time to loan him back to Saint-Etienne for another temporary spell, the eventual route into the Arsenal first team was inevitably set for the following campaign.

Even before that, the decision to pull the plug on Rob Holding‘s loan to Newcastle shortly after the Community Shield victory acted as an indicator of where Saliba was in his development. For all the hype and expectancy, it became apparent that the 19-year-old would need more time adapting before making his senior bow.

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A family bereavement in May would have been tough for anyone to deal with, although Saliba was said to have shown great mental strength during the difficult period.

His omission from the Europa League squad still left fans befuddled, not least as injured duo Calum Chambers and Pablo Mari were included despite not making an appearance in the group stages until the final round of fixtures. Not to mention being handed the No. 4 shirt.

In total, Saliba has made a senior squad once this season, that coming back in September during a Carabao Cup third round clash with Leicester. He remained on the bench.

With a move to Nice set up for the remainder of the season, given the options available, was the Ligue 1 side the ideal destination for the defender? Let’s take a look at the positives and negatives.

Positives of William Saliba’s Move to Nice

Kicking off with the clear and obvious, he needs to play football. Couldn’t be any simpler.

While regular run outs with the youth team is better than nothing, £27m doesn’t get spent to boost the reserve side. For a player of his ability, he must be playing top-flight football. Many will argue that Ligue 1 is not the finest standard around, which is true, but it’s a darn sight better than Derby County Under-23’s.

A return to Saint-Etienne was in the offing for months after the failures of the summer, a move that was claimed to be Saliba’s preference – It’s little wonder why that’s the case as he’d been there since 2016. Home comforts would’ve have been the best tonic to a season that will have been bitterly disappointing in his eyes.

Returning to France suits him. That much is sure. Arsenal may see him play his best football somewhere he is more familiar with the culture and language. Importantly though, joining a different club in Ligue 1 means many of those comforts have been stripped away. There will be no falling back into old routines and surroundings, the like of which could set back his development once more before he returns to Arsenal.

Knowing the division means his adaptation will be eased, but he’ll still need to mature in new surroundings, with new teammates and in a different style of play.

In terms of minutes, regular centre-back Dante suffered an ACL tear and will miss the entire season, opening the door for Saliba to garner as much playing time as feasibly possible. With the deal being wrapped up so soon in the month, he can make an immediate impression in an inexperienced backline.

Nice aren’t having a great season, and sacked Patrick Vieira at the beginning of December, although relegation is unlikely to occur.

Negatives of William Saliba’s Loan to Nice

Sadly, this deal poses more negative points than positive ones. It can only have come down to personal decisions, since there were plenty of suitors, but Saliba not going to an English club is a mistake.

Part of maturing and developing in English football is being in the midst of the winter period, playing twice a week and having to wear layer upon layer to manage the bitter cold. But while the festive period is over, the real rigours of football on the island are still in effect.

Being part of such an environment, whether in the Championship or top-flight, would’ve provided a learning curve for Saliba, one he will now have to wait until next season to experience. Culturally, and for sporting reasons, he shouldn’t be going back to Ligue 1.

On top of that, learning the language is vital, and while his English has come on leaps and bounds, he won’t be speaking it daily at Nice. You’d imagine he’s still taking lessons but it’s not the same.

Arsenal want to be keeping a close eye on Saliba throughout the season. With him over in the south of France, scouts or otherwise, it’s better to have close line of communication; one that would have been direct if he’d have gone to Watford, for example.

Above all, yes, he needs to play football. The situation is so far from ideal and it’s now about making the most of an unfortunate situation. He will likely play every minute of Nice’s campaign, which while not the desired destination, is what Arsenal have felt is appropriate.

Can he develop under Adrian Ursea’s three-at-the-back setup? The Romanian has been at Nice for four years and Arsenal must believe so.

At least he’ll play football. Best of luck to him.