Laurent Koscielny couldn’t believe what kept happening to William Saliba after he joined Arsenal
Former Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny has discussed William Saliba and it’s fair to say he’s a big fan.
Last September, Saliba signed a new contract with Arsenal, tying his future to the north London club until the summer of 2030.
Saliba has become exceptional under Mikel Arteta and is now undoubtedly one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
After a good start to the campaign for Saliba and Arsenal, Laurent Koscielny has given his opinion on the 24-year-old.
Laurent Koscielny is a big fan of William Saliba
Koscielny admitted he was shocked when William Saliba went on to be loaned out by Arsenal early in his career at the Emirates Stadium.
The France defender signed for the north London club while Koscielny was still playing there, and he couldn’t understand why he continued to be loaned out by Mikel Arteta.
After signing for the Gunners, Saliba completed three different loan spells, joining Saint-Etienne, then Nice and Marseille.
The 24-year-old finally found his rhythm at Stade Vélodrome, and after a year at Marseille, he returned to north London ready to play in the first team.
Recalling the beginnings of Saliba’s career at Arsenal, Koscielny told Footallogue: “For me he is a top player! When he was bought by Arsenal, I was still an Arsenal player. He was bought from Saint Etienne and then loaned out again.
“He came from time to time to train with our coaches (at Arsenal) and also to see the environment a little.
“The following years, he was actually loaned to Nice, and he was loaned to Marseille. So we wonder why he is on loan?
“But every time he played full seasons, every time he played well, and the day he got his chance at Arsenal, he was ready to play for the club.
“He was ready to play in the Premier League, which is difficult for defenders. Today all the work that has been put in is rewarded.”
What Mikel Arteta said about William Saliba’s loan move in 2020
Returning from a loan to Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2020, Saliba spent half the season with the Gunners.
However, Arteta became frustrated with his situation and insisted he needed to spend more time away from the club on loan to develop.
“I’m fed up with the situation because, as you could see, we tried to find a way in the last few days (of the transfer window) to give him football,” Arteta told the media in November 2020.
“I explained that he needed that transition year when we decided to buy him and send him on loan to Saint-Etienne, for many reasons that didn’t happen, he didn’t have that transition year and he has to go through that.
At the time, Arteta’s decision to continue sending him out on loan was questioned, but in truth it turned out to be the best decision for his career.