Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna still thinks that William Saliba has a future at Arsenal beyond this season.
The defender, valued at £15.3m on Transfermarkt, is currently out on loan at Nice after reportedly having something of a falling-out with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta.
Although the Spaniard did recently say that there could be a future for him, among other loan players, if he continues to play regularly, as he has been with the French side, it would give Arsenal a better understanding of his potential use to the club.
And speaking in an interview with Charles Watts, Sagna said that it was the right decision for the club to send him out on loan, and that he is very confident he’ll have a future at the club.
He said: “He’s joined the best league in the world, so being good in France is totally different than proving himself in the [English Premier] League. I still have trust in him, I still think he is a good player and he can adapt to Arsenal, because I’ve seen him play many times, I’m watching games and he’s good.
“Sending him away it’s not a bad thing, you know, it’s not a punishment to me, it’s clever from the club to send him and rather than being on the bench or even not even in the squad. At that age, you need to play, need to be playing, and he has a big potential. In France, people know he’s in the Nice team and he’s doing well in Nice, he is probably their best player.”
Should William Saliba be sent out on loan for another season?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Bacary Sagna’s comments about William Saliba’s future…
Whilst Sagna might be confident about Saliba’s abilities, if the falling-out is going to hold anything against him when he comes back to Arsenal, then he is probably going to have to keep playing exceptionally well in order for Arteta to overlook their personal beef in favour of what might be good for the team.
Because at the end of the day, if he is good enough to get into the team and help them, as Sagna believes he can be, then Arteta would be pretty foolish to let their problem linger and be a detriment to the team.
In other news: ‘The issue for Arsenal’ – Charles Watts drops worrying claim around £36m-rated ace’s future