Arsenal defender William Saliba admits Mikel Arteta ‘immediately told me I wasn’t ready’ and expresses disappointment that the first team was not shot after Nice’s loan move
- William Saliba made his debut for Nice in the middle of the week after leaving Arsenal on loan
- The 19-year-old star has yet to make a high appearance after a £ 27m move
- Mikel Arteta told Saliba he was not ‘ready’ immediately, the defender admitted
- Saliba has now struggled with his lack of playing time at the Emirates
Arsenal defender William Saliba has said he would have ‘had a chance’ to prove himself after Mikel Arteta immediately told him he was not ‘ready’.
The 19-year-old, signed from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2019 for £ 27million, has yet to feature at a high level in England and was again deemed unprepared for action. first team.
And after returning to France for the season at Nice, Saliba has expressed his disappointment at the lack of opportunities over the past year.
William Saliba is upset to reveal that he was not given first-team action by Arsenal
‘The coach immediately told me I wasn’t ready,’ he said on Friday. ‘I wish at least I had a chance to rediscover my rhythm.
My first six months were tough, because I was coming from six months where I couldn’t train because I was at home and I couldn’t train outdoors, I couldn’t play.
‘I got there because they were finishing the league season, so I was training on their own. As soon as they returned from vacation, we had our first friendly games quickly where I had no rhythm and where I was not physically fit. ‘
Saliba, 19, was immediately deemed not ready by Mikel Arteta and was loaned out to Nice
Saliba’s short-term conversion to Nice, an initial six-month loan deal, was completed earlier in the week.
His first debut came in a 2-0 loss with Brest on Wednesday – although the Arsenal youngster’s quick-witted legs caught the eye in the middle of the back of three.
His difficult time in the Premier League meant that his midweek action piece was his first for almost a whole year.
Arsenal sealed the permanent deal for Saliba a year and a half ago and allowed the previous campaign to be seen by Saint-Etienne before crossing the channel.
After returning to France, Saliba made his debut for Nice in their 2-0 loss to Brest this week.
As a result of his first show back in his home country, Saliba expressed confidence that he would be able to find his form sooner rather than later.
He said: ‘What I’m sure is that I came from Arsenal U23s, and what’ s sure is that the rhythm at professional and U23 level is not the same.
‘I wanted to play and I trained so hard at Arsenal, which is why the coach sent me straight on Wednesday. But I certainly haven’t played for a while and that has done me good.
‘Even though I was young, I became a director.’
