Arsenal make big William Saliba decision for pre-season

The chances of William Saliba being part of the Arsenal setup next season have suffered a hammer blow, and not just because the imminent arrival of Ben White is going to push him further down the pecking order.

Pre-season is an exciting time. It’s an opportunity to see new ideas from the manager implemented in their early stages, while also some of the first glimpses supporters may have had of young academy players breaking through -17-year-old Emile Smith Rowe in 2018 springs to mind.

It’s also the perfect platform to see new signings in action. Ben White and Albert Sambi Lokonga will hopefully play some part during the Gunners’ matches across the summer, and while he may have joined a full two years ago, it will feel like Saliba is part of that troupe.

The only chance supporters had to see him kick a ball with Mikel Arteta in the dugout was for 45 minutes against MK Dons. That was it. Looking through the image bank sometimes we have to refer to the two or three pictures from that day since there has been almost nothing since of him in red and white.

Arsenal make big William Saliba decision for pre-season after Frenchman is called up to represent France in Tokyo Summer Olympics

As rumours circulate that he looks set to be either sold, loaned out or sent away on a deal that will have an obligation to purchase, his chances of staking a claim were resting on his performances in pre-season.

Gabriel will be away with Brazil at the Olympics, which will grant him a better chance of impressing his manager. Well, it would have, were he not also jetting off to Tokyo.

As confirmed by Get Football French News, Saliba has been included in Sylvain Ripoll’s 18-man squad and will link up with the national team for the tournament which takes place between July 21 and August 7, right in the middle of pre-season.

It’s added that all the players selected to play in Japan have been chosen in accordance with their parent clubs, thus Arsenal have given the green light to Saliba to play. While there may have been some minor confidence in the Gunners granting Saliba the chance to impress in pre-season before making a decision, this appears fairly rubber stamped for his immediate future.

Of course, with Gabriel heading off, and possibly Gabriel Martinelli, it may have been a harsh call to say no, but the other two are established players at the club with certain futures and don’t have their Arsenal careers on the line.

Could he have a superb tournament with France, a huge opportunity for a young player to feature at an Olympic Games, and return with some stock in the bank? Yes, but with the rest of the defenders having time to absorb the manager’s ideas on the training ground, it’s unlikely.

As it stands, Rob Holding and Pablo Mari will be the only senior central defenders once pre-season kicks off in early July.