"I’ve not heard anything about him wanting to be anywhere else"- David Ornstein provides update on William Saliba's future at Arsenal
The Athletic's David Ornstein has claimed that Arsenal star William Saliba would field multiple offers if he were made available on the market this summer. The Gunners secured Saliba's services from Saint-Etienne in 2019 for a reported fee of £27 million.
Ornstein has confirmed that Saliba's future remains in north London. However, he also admitted that the 22-year-old would be in demand if the Gunners decided to offload him this summer.
The journalist said (via TBR Football):
“He has only just signed a new long-term contract and I’ve not heard anything about him wanting to be anywhere else. If he was ever to become available, I’m sure most/all of the world’s biggest clubs would try to sign him."
He added:
“Indeed, there was strong interest in him from the Premier League and beyond before he put pen to paper on that deal. But, he is Arsenal property for the foreseeable future and they will be delighted with that.”
The Frenchman struggled to break into the first team initially under Mikel Arteta. He returned to his former club on loan the summer he was signed and subsequently spent further loan spells at OGC Nice and Marseille.
Saliba had his breakthrough season in 2022 and he has been a regular starter for Arteta since. The France international was in excellent form last season, helping the Gunners contest a heated title race with Manchester City.
This campaign, Saliba continues to play a crucial role in Arteta's defense, playing every single minute of his side's Premier League action and making seven Champions League starts as well.
The French center-back's future at the Emirates did come into question last summer when his previous deal was set to expire in 2024. However, the club managed to tie him down with a new four-year contract.
"It was necessary" - Mikel Arteta explains how 'everything clicked' for Arsenal after winter break
Arsenal had a great start to the 2023-24 campaign and managed to stay at the top of the league ahead of rivals Liverpool and Manchester City. However, a draw against the Merseysiders and two consecutive London derby defeats in December saw them drop down the table.
Ever since the winter break in January, the Gunners have been in ruthless goalscoring form in the English top flight, winning their last seven games by an aggregate score of 31-3.
Speaking ahead of his side's clash against Brentford this weekend, Arteta highlighted the importance of Arsenal's warm-weather training camp in Dubai and how it led to their resurgence in form.
He said (via football.london):
"It was necessary. We had some defeats when we didn’t deserve to lose but it was probably necessary to keep demanding from ourselves. Then everything clicked. We won and then it kept building and that helps."
Arsenal are currently third in the league table (61 points after 27 games), two points behind league leaders Liverpool, who faced second-placed Manchester City (62 points after 27 games) this weekend.