Charles Watts, the Arsenal correspondent for Goal, has been discussing the latest on William Saliba’s future during a recent YouTube video.
The club had reached an agreement with his former club Saint-Etienne for him to return to Ligue 1 on loan for a second consecutive season but they were unable to complete the deal before the deadline.
However, the domestic transfer window remains open which means he could still join a Championship club this week.
The Gunners paid £27m for the 19-year-old (as per Transfermarkt) but having arrived in North London following an additional season in France, the fact the club was looking to let him return again suggests that perhaps, in Mikel Arteta’s view, he hasn’t progressed as much as they had hoped.
When providing an update on the player’s future over the weekend, here is what the journalist had to say regarding a potential loan move to the second tier:
“We’re expecting him to go out on loan before Friday. Arsenal are still going through the process that they do when it comes to loan players. They want to make sure that if they do send him out on loan, they’re going to send him to the right club.
“[There are] discussions with Saliba and discussions with Saliba’s agent talking about exactly what the move should be here for Saliba and how his development is going to go over the next six months to a season while out on loan.
“[The shortlisted] clubs will come in to London Colney this week, they will sit down with Arsenal, with Ben Knapper, the loan manager; with Saliba, with Saliba’s agent and they will put their pitch forward about why they should be the club that Saliba goes to on loan.
“At the end of that process, Arsenal will sit down with Saliba and with Saliba’s agent and they will make a final decision, it is almost like an Apprentice-style thing.”
Should William Saliba be sent out on loan for another season?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Charles Watts’ Arsenal transfer news on William Saliba…
It’s clear from Watts’ comments that he believes the £20.25m-rated defender is likely to leave the Emirates Stadium on loan again before the domestic transfer window closes but he also suggests there is plenty of work to be done with regards to identifying a suitable destination for the player.
According to a recent report, one of the clubs leading the race to acquire the Frenchman is Brentford but for the time being, judging from what Watts had to say, there is no deal in place that will see him move to the Brentford Community Stadium.
Meanwhile, a report from David Ornstein this weekend suggested that Saliba is expected to remain at the club until January at the very least ‘barring a late change of plan’, so it is still unclear as to where the youngster’s immediate future lies ahead of Friday’s domestic deadline.