William Saliba rejected the opportunity to gain Premier League experience on loan at Newcastle United, instead opting to take a short-term move to Marseille as his unusual Arsenal career takes another twist.
The 20-year-old is still yet to play for the Gunners since signing for £27m in 2019, returning to Saint-Etienne on loan and then spending the second half of last season at Nice.
Mikel Arteta clearly is still not convinced that the Frenchman is ready to compete in the first team and is sending him out on a third loan spell for the coming season.
L’Equipe report that a number of clubs were interested in the defender and he had his pick of where to spend the next stage of his development.
Saliba turned down Newcastle United, Lille and a return to Nice, opting for Marseille instead.
Marseille boss Jorge Sampaoli is reported to have had a productive conversation with Saliba, convincing him that Marseille is the ideal destination for him, while the imminent arrival of Matteo Guendouzi on loan has also played a factor in his decision.
Guendouzi is also a long way from Arteta’s plans, spending last season on loan at Hertha Berlin and is set to join Marseille along with his fellow Arsenal outcast.
Both the loan moves for Saliba and Guendouzi are yet to be confirmed but the deals have been agreed between Arsenal, Marseille and the players.
When asked about his long-term future at Arsenal by BILD, Guendouzi sounded far from convinced that he would pull on a Gunners shirt again, just concentrating on recovering from a foot injury.
‘I’m under contract with Arsenal and we have mutual obligations,’ he said. ‘There is interest from clubs from different leagues. Right now I’m one hundred percent focused on my recovery. In due time, I will decide with my advisors and my father which direction we are headed.’
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