Arsenal forgotten man William Saliba has hinted at an extended stay in France with current club Marseille.
The 20-year-old is yet to feature for the Gunners since his arrival from St. Etienne in 2019, but his performances on loan in French Ligue 1 have caught the attention of many including the French national team coach Didier Deschamps.
The tactician handed Saliba his first senior call-up this week ahead of the upcoming international friendly matches.
Speaking while in camp with the Les Blues, Saliba said he will make a decision about his future in the coming months.
“I’ve never hidden the fact that I feel good here. I don’t know what my future holds, there’s still two months to go,” he told French outlet RMC Sport. “The most important thing is to qualify for the Champions League and go as far as possible in the Conference League.”
He added: “I think discussions will take place afterwards, at the end of May to early June, between Arsenal and Marseille – we’ll decide at that point. But staying on here would definitely not be a bad idea, on the contrary, I know the city, my teammates, my manager. But it doesn’t depend on me.”
Arsenal manager was not fully convinced with Saliba’s abilities, therefore allowing him to leave on loan last summer, and the defender had a word for the Spaniard.
“He [Arteta] judged me on two and a half matches. I would have liked for him to play me more. But he told me I wasn’t ready,” Saliba said.
“I was waiting for him to give me a chance, but football is like that. I am happy now. I want to play for Nice.”
Saliba will hope to make his national team debut when France play Ivory Coast and South Africa.
