Arsenal have already made William Saliba transfer decision for next season

Arsenal: Saliba tackles Aubameyang during training

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Arsenal have reportedly decided to keep William Saliba at the club next season. Saliba is yet to make an appearance for Arsenal since his £27million move to the Gunners in 2019. The centre-back spent last season back on loan at Saint-Etienne. However, he did not get the game time he and Mikel Arteta wanted due to injury problems and the French season being cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Saliba was part of the Arsenal squad heading into Arteta’s first full season in charge at the Emirates.

The Frenchman featured in pre-season, including in a friendly against MK Dons last August.

However, he did not make a first-team appearance in the first half of the campaign and was sent back to France on loan, joining Nice.

Saliba has impressed at Nice, having made 18 Ligue 1 appearances to date and won the club’s player of the month award for January.

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And he has seemingly done enough to earn a spot in the Arsenal squad for next term.

PA Sport claim Saliba will be part of the pre-season setup and will remain at the club for the start of next season.

The report says the plan is to involve the 20-year-old ‘in all first-team affairs when he returns from Nice’.

Saliba may have an opportunity to prove he has what it takes to be a regular in the Arsenal side.

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David Luiz’s contract at the Gunners expires this summer, leaving Rob Holding as the only other recognised right-sided centre-back at the club.

Pablo Mari and Gabriel have impressed at times this season but Arteta is not willing to play both left-footers in the same team.

Saliba still has three years remaining on his Arsenal contract following his arrival two summers ago.

He was left out of Arsenal’s Europa League squad for the first half of this season.

It was a decision Arteta later regretted, due to a setback in Mari’s recovery from an ankle injury.

“I feel really bad for William Saliba,” Arteta said last October.

“Because we had so many central defenders, we decided to leave him out of the squad which was really hurtful for me to do.

“I was hoping that Pablo would be back in two weeks but he had a setback and then we don’t have Pablo and we don’t have William when he’s fit and available to play, but when you make those decisions, you can’t always think about every possible outcome.”

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