William Saliba to get Arsenal chance following Gabriel call-up

William Saliba has completed 18 months of loan moves elsewhere and, at last, Arsenal fans may get the chance to see the Frenchman don the red and white for more than just 45 minutes against MK Dons in a friendly. The news of Gabriel’s call-up will grant him that chance.

The relationship between Saliba and Mikel Arteta is only known externally. Dissecting the manager’s decisions in terms of his development and the continued pursuit of a new right-sided centre-back doesn’t paint the picture of a man with unbridled faith in his £27m player.

While what has been said behind he scenes remains under lock and key, with the squad building being undertaken, hopefully, it’s been laid out to the 20-year-old to offer him an insight into his pathway to the first team.

Ben White looks increasingly likely to become an Arsenal player once next season kicks off, with an initial £40m knocked back and an improved £45m expected shortly. That could rise further depending on negotiations and interest elsewhere, a move that has cast some doubt over Saliba’s long-term future.

William Saliba to get Arsenal chance under Mikel Arteta in pre-season following Gabriel call-up to Brazil Olympic squad

Both superb talents, the fear is that Saliba could drop to third choice right centre-back behind White and Rob Holding – should the latter stay – but news of Gabriel’s inclusion at the 2021 Summer Olympics has presented the Frenchman with another chance to stake a claim.

With the event due to get underway on July 22 and continue through until August 7, it means Gabriel won’t be available for the Gunners’ pre-season preparations – Brazil are likely to reach the latter stages given they’re a rather decent team.

With the 2021/22 Premier League campaign kicking off one week after the football event concludes, it means Gabriel is set to miss the first few fixtures of the season. Gabriel Martinelli, however, was selected for the provisional squad but bizarrely left out of the final 18-man team.

With the news that Konstantinos Mavropanos will be leaving permanently this window to Stuttgart on a deal thought to be in the region of £7m, that will leave Arteta with White (potentially), Holding, Saliba and Pablo Mari as his central defensive options.

One man’s loss is another man’s gain. Of course, Gabriel will be rightly ecstatic to be heading to Tokyo and everyone is pleased for him.

What it does mean is that Saliba and Mari will contest the left centre-back slot, somewhere the Arsenal No. 4 has excelled at before.

This is a big opportunity for him.

Continued…