Arsenal’s defensive star William Saliba has revealed he flat-out rejected a plan by his own club to offload him to Premier League rivals – a decision that would have shaken north London to its core.
The French centre-back, now a linchpin in the Gunners’ backline and widely hailed as one of Europe’s most formidable defenders, has confessed that Arsenal wanted him to join either Newcastle United or Crystal Palace during his darkest days at the Emirates. Saliba, signed under Unai Emery’s regime but never played by the Spaniard, found himself frozen out under Mikel Arteta and was shipped out on loan to Nice. It was only after a tumultuous spell in Ligue 1 – and a pivotal career choice – that his fortunes changed forever.
Saliba’s journey to the top of English football was anything but smooth. After his initial loan, Arsenal’s hierarchy made it clear: he was not part of their immediate plans. In a cold rebuke, Saliba was even told to skip pre-season training while they tried to arrange a domestic loan. “Arsenal wanted me to go to Newcastle United or Crystal Palace, but I didn’t want to [do that],” Saliba admitted in a candid interview with L’Equipe, laying bare the uncertainty and lack of faith he faced from his parent club.
Unwilling to be sidelined or shipped off to a rival, Saliba looked to France for salvation. He weighed offers from Lille and Marseille, but financial complications at Lille saw him land in the fiery cauldron of Marseille – a move that would define his career. The prospect was daunting: “Marseille is a big club, but it is scary. It was the season where it was a bit crazy, where the supporters had gone to the Commanderie (OM’s training ground),” he recalled, alluding to the infamous fan protests and unrest that season. Still, Saliba and his agent saw the upside. “With my agent, we said: ‘Marseille, if you go there and have a good season, it is the team in France and things can move quickly.’ Jorge Sampaoli really wanted me. I went to Marseille and things moved so quickly. I played almost all of the matches. My value rose again. I started having fun again.”
It was at Marseille that Saliba’s fortunes truly turned. Playing nearly every match under Jorge Sampaoli, he rebuilt his self-belief and market value, culminating in a long-awaited debut for the French national team by March. “It was an incredible year. I honestly loved Marseille: the supporters, the club, my teammates… football is like that. You build again from the bottom; it’s not a problem. Buckle up. If you do things well, you’ll get back to the top,” Saliba reflected, a declaration that now rings prophetic given his current status.
Saliba’s return to Arsenal was nothing short of a redemption arc. No longer an outcast, he was thrust straight into the heart of Arteta’s defence, immediately establishing a rock-solid partnership with Gabriel Magalhães. That duo is now widely regarded as the best centre-back pairing in Europe – a remarkable reversal for a player once deemed surplus to requirements. He’s become indispensable for a club with ambitions of Premier League glory and success.
Saliba’s story is a searing indictment of football’s ruthless business, where even the most gifted talents can find themselves unwanted and on the brink. His refusal to accept mediocrity, his courage to spurn the easy option, and his determination to rebuild from scratch in the white-hot atmosphere of Marseille have made him a beacon for every young player left in limbo by their clubs. With Arsenal’s title charge relying on his defensive steel, the question now is simple: can Saliba and Gabriel anchor the Gunners to the summit of English and European football? If recent history is anything to go by, only a fool would bet against him.