William Saliba, the darkest year at Arsenal that nearly derailed his career | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, William Saliba endured six bleak months at Arsenal in autumn 2020, marked by bereavement, dwindling motivation and outings with the U23 side, a spell he would later describe as the worst year of his life.

He joined Arsenal in 2019 then spent a season back at Saint-Étienne. After Ligue 1 stopped, he wanted to play July’s Coupe de France final against PSG, but Arsenal refused as he was no longer contracted there. Grief after his mother’s death deepened the strain.

Crossing to London, he faced a new language, a starry dressing room and punishing training, and extra kilos from inactivity did not help. A first friendly went badly by his own admission within his circle, and the consequences proved larger than expected.

On the eve of the Premier League opener, Mikel Arteta told him he would not be involved. He was omitted from the Europa League list and spent weekends with the U23s, while friend Ateef Konaté tried to steady his days. He did not tell Arteta about his mother, reluctant to seek pity and constrained by his English.

In January he chose a loan exit, with Leeds and Nice interested, and opted for Nice. He says the move revived him mentally and on the pitch. After a season at Marseille, he returned 18 months later to cement a starting place at Arsenal.

Mentor Fabio Frasconi believes most players would have given up during that stretch, and those months hardened Saliba’s professionalism. As France face Senegal in East Rutherford on Tuesday at the MetLife Stadium, nostalgia is not part of his make-up.

Source: L'Équipe