Why Arsenal must loan out William Saliba in January

According to ButFootballClub (h/t Mirror), Arsenal centre-back William Saliba is said to be frustrated at the lack of playing time for his new club. This has pushed the defender to ask for a loan deal to St. Etienne to be sanctioned in January so that he can play on a regular basis.

Profile

The 19-year-old French centre-back started his youth career at local club AS Bondy in 2008 and moved to FC Montfermeil six years later. St. Etienne’s youth system snapped him up in 2016 as he continued to progress.

In 2018, he was promoted to the senior team. While he did not get to feature much for the side, his performances attracted the interest of Arsenal, who signed him the following season. However, he was immediately loaned back to the French club for that season. Across two seasons, he made 36 appearances for St. Etienne (source – Transfermarkt).

He returned to Arsenal this season but hasn’t made an appearance for them so far. The only time he was in the squad was in the EFL Cup victory over Leicester. Other than that, he wasn’t even named in any of the matchday squads. He has had to play for the U-23s with two appearances so far. Saliba is a regular for the French youth sides but hasn’t been called up yet to the senior side.

Arsenal have to let Saliba go on loan in January

While it may seem puzzling as to why Arsenal would let such a player with potential go for a loan spell, we need to look at Arsenal’s defensive contingent. Including Saliba, the club have 8 centre-backs on their roster. Of those, the likes of David Luiz, Rob Holding, new signing Gabriel Magalhaes and the recovering Pablo Mari are expected to be lining up.

Add to that, Kieran Tierney, Granit Xhaka and Sead Kolasinac have been playing in that role in a back-three and you have one too many players for that position. Even the much-maligned Shkodran Mustafi has been brought back into the fold.

It’s not to say Saliba isn’t talented enough to make the cut. But at such a young age, it would be a rather tough challenge to tackle the Premier League.

Read More

• Why Arsenal should go back in the market for Andrea Petagna
• Why Arsenal must return for Odsonne Edouard in January

At 19, he has a long time to return to Arsenal and establish himself in the team. Hence, Arteta must send this talented young defender out on loan and make him play regular top-flight football. His career is at crossroads right now and it is very important for the club to make a clear decision so as to not stall his growth.