William Saliba is set to complete a loan to Ligue 1 side Nice. Nice are unlikely to pay any sort of loan fee for the defender, but will likely cover his full wages.
Early days in the transfer window make for early signs of how the club is going make the most of their time. Arsenal have started off relatively strong with the loaning of Sead Kolasinac being set for finishing touches in the coming days, and now are ready to make their second move.
William Saliba has been the focal point of one of the most frustrating aspects of the season. The £27m pound defender was brought in with everyone hoping he and Gabriel would make clear strides toward being the future of Arsenal’s defense. It hasn’t happened.
However, that doesn’t fall entirely on the young defender’s shoulders. While we have not seen Saliba day in and day out, we also haven’t seen him make any sort of competitive appearance for the club’s first team whatsoever which makes it tough to understand what coaches are seeing, or not seeing.
Arsenal fans were given glimpses here and there of practices, U23 appearances, and one first team friendly versus MK Dons, but otherwise were left to fight amongst themselves over this whole debacle.
For a while now, it has seemed as though Saliba was destined to be loaned out, with many fan’s fears peaking at the suggestion that the deal may be a permanent one last week. Today, multiple outlets report that Saliba won’t be sold, only loaned, and that Arsenal still consider him a large part of their future defense.
It won’t be back to Etienne for Saliba, but France is still calling. OGC Nice is the destination this time around, assuming negotiations go off without any major hiccups.
All the best Saliba, and we look forward to seeing you in a much more real capacity next season.
Gunner Thoughts 