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It was only ever Arsenal.
William Saliba affirmed that belief when he put pen to paper, ensuring his long-term stay in North London. The Frenchman is the best defender in the world; he could easily join any club he wanted to and play every available minute for them. But he chose not to. He only ever wanted Arsenal.
Before he signed the new deal, there was a consensus that he would end up at Real Madrid one way or another. They are the biggest club in the world, and have proven that they can sign any player in the world. But even they couldn't convince Saliba.
William Saliba only wanted Arsenal, not Real Madrid
And William Saliba hasn't shied away from the fact that he was wanted by other clubs. Despite not naming his potential suitors outrightly, he used that as an opportunity to reaffirm his love for Arsenal.
In his own words, William Saliba said: "To be honest, I was not really focused on the clubs from the outside. I wanted to stay here."
If only Arsenal fans could've taken this mentality. It's been quite difficult to enjoy a William Saliba performance lately, and not because he's played badly. It's because with every defensive action he made, the feeling was always 'oh, we're going to miss this when he's gone.'
But he's not gone, and he won't be going anytime soon.
Arsenal face Olympiacos in the Champions League tomorrow night (Wednesday). Without a shadow of a doubt, Saliba will be involved in some capacity. He might not start the game as he eases his way back into action after the injury, but he will at least get some Champions League minutes for the first time this season.
William Saliba has bought into the Arsenal project under Mikel Arteta. It's abundantly clear that he would like to win trophies in North London.
Further commenting on Real Madrid, he addressed the former Premier League defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, who moved away from his beloved Liverpool in the summer. Saliba eluded to the fact that their comparisons are not clear enough to make, since Trent won trophies at Arsenal, and Saliba hasn't (yet).
On that, Saliba said: “He won some titles at Liverpool, with me, I didn't win anything here except [the Community Shield]. I want to stay here and win a lot of trophies. I love this club, I couldn't leave without giving something back”.
I think the message from Saliba is clear: I can't leave behind a legacy if no legacy is left behind.