‘Marseille is a big club, but it is scary’ – Arsenal’s William Saliba reveals how he almost joined Lille | OneFootball

William Saliba’s (25) loan to Olympique de Marseille back in 2021 changed the course of his career. It not only saw him enter into Mikel Arteta’s plans at Arsenal, but it also led to a call-up to the France national team. As he tells L’Équipe, however, it could have been very different. 

Saliba’s season loan at the Vélodrome (2021-22) came following previous spells on loan at formative club AS Saint-Étienne and then at OGC Nice. Neither had allowed him to force his way into Arteta’s plans at the Emirates. 

That summer, prior to joining OM, his career had reached a tipping point. Saliba tells L’Équipe that he was told to not even report for pre-season at Arsenal that summer and instead find a club to join on loan. “Arsenal wanted me to go to Newcastle United or Crystal Palace, but I didn’t want to [do that],” recalls the France international.

He continued, “I remember that summer, it was either Lille OSC or Marseille. I was on the verge of joining Lille but there was a financial problem.” It was this financial problem that led him to OM. But Saliba admits that there was initially some reticence. 

Saliba on OM: ‘My value rose again. I started having fun again’

“Marseille is a big club, but it is scary,” he told L’Équipe. “It was the season where it was a bit crazy, where the supporters had gone to the Commanderie (OM’s training ground). But, 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.”

He continued, “By March, I was playing my first matches for France. 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.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle