ARSENAL star William Saliba had “some issues” with manager Mikel Arteta during his loan stint at Marseille.
The Gunners signed Saliba from Saint-Etienne in 2019 and quickly loaned him back to the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium.
The centre-back still struggled to meet expectations in north London in 2020 and underwent two more year-long loan stints to Nice and Marseille.
That experience proved to be critical for the France international as he quickly transformed into Arsenal’s rock in defence immediately after his return in June.
However, the 22-year-old couldn’t see this last year and thus had “doubts” about working with Arteta following a stunning stint with L’OM, where he enjoyed playing so much he considered staying.
That is according to Saliba’s former boss Philippe Guillemet, who is the former director of Saint-Etienne’s academy centre.
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Guillemet told The Athletic: “He loved Marseille. It was a fantastic year.
“Speaking to people close to him, he had doubts about Arsenal because there were some issues between him and the coach. Now he is happy in London.”
However, Saliba has settled very well at Arsenal as he has become a prolific figure under Arteta.
In fact, many argue the Gunners’ Premier League title charge came to an end when the defender got injured in March.
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That is why Arsenal have prioritised a new contract for the Frenchman ahead of pre-season.
And the North Londoners have reportedly given in to Saliba’s demands to agree a new long-term deal.
In fact, Arteta made it absolutely clear that the player is central to all of his long-term plans and must be kept at any cost.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
