Mikel Arteta wants William Saliba in his squad next season

Mikel Arteta wants William Saliba in his squad next season and says that his loan was due to a lack of playing time being offered, nothing else.

The future of the defender is with Arsenal, according to the Arsenal boss. The defender joined the Gunners in 2019 for £27million but has yet to feature for the Premier League side.

The 21-year-old had a standout Ligue 1 campaign with Marseille as the French club secured Champions League football.

It culminated with the star defender being named Young Player of the Year and earning a spot in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year as his loan move looks to have paid off.

Mikel Arteta wants Saliba at Arsenal next season

His future has been the cause of much conjecture among Arsenal fans. His talent is undeniable, yet he wasn’t given a chance to show what he could do. Mikel Arteta gave an insight into why the young defender was loaned on French radio station RMC (via Fabrizio Romano), and he pointed out that it was only due to a lack of playing time that Saliba was sent elsewhere.

"“He has to come back,” Arteta said. “He has the experience and the necessary qualities to be competitive with us. “If he had stayed with us this year, with one Premier League match every week and Ben White and Gabriel, he wouldn’t have had half the playing time that he had at Marseille, that’s for sure. “For his development and what he can do next season, that wouldn’t have been good. William wasn’t with us because he wouldn’t have had the playing time to gain experience. “That’s it, nothing else.”"

It certainly is a positive sign that the Gunners boss wants a player who many thought to be lost to another club. So many times this season, fans have been vocal on social media regarding Arsenal’s defence and hinted that Saliba would walk into the starting line-up.

Despite him being raw at the time, the 21-year-old was sent out on loan to get the necessary experience and continuity in his game (he played 36 league games and six Europa League matches) that he would not get at the Emirates. To say the move has been a success would be an understatement.

Saliba shines for Marseille

Throughout the Ligue 1 campaign, Saliba stood out like a sore thumb. His passing, defending, and leadership of the Marseille defence were superb. As an Arsenal player, you have to be good with the ball at your feet; Saliba completed 93% of his passes. On top of that, he is a superb tackler, completing 88% of his tackles.

There is a strong desire to have Saliba back at the Emirates next season, but the player has publicly stated that he wants to stay at Marseille. The 21-year-old spoke after the French club’s last game against Strasbourg and said:

"“I want to come back and play the Champions League. I have never played in it, and I want to discover it here.”"

There is a lot to play out regarding the defender’s future with Arsenal. Arteta wants him, and the fans desperately want him, but the lure of playing next season for Marseille could prove decisive. Saliba is an Arsenal player at the time of writing, but we know how quickly things can change in football, and it would be a travesty should the club lose such a talent.