Saliba impresses for Saint-Etienne
William Saliba broke into Saint-Etienne’s first team during the 2018/19 campaign.
The 18-year-old made his Ligue 1 debut on the 25th of September vs Toulouse.
Saliba went on to feature 19 times across all competitions for Saint-Etienne.
Despite his limited game time, Saliba is already showing signs that he could be a top quality central defender.
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 19: Unai Emery, Manager of Arsenal speaks with Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Tottenham Hotspur prior to the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on December 19, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images)
Saint-Etienne’s coach on Saliba
As a result, two of England’s top clubs have been linked with a move for the Frenchman.
Both Arsenal and their North London rivals Tottenham have been linked with moves for Saliba.
RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi recently reported that Arsenal had sent an offer of €30m for Saliba with Spurs also in the race for the defender.
Arsenal a transmis une 1ère offre de 30M€ pour William Saliba. Les négociations ont lieu entre Arsenal et Saint Étienne. Arsenal est déjà d’accord avec le joueur. Comme révèlé par l’Equipe, Arsenal doit quand même se méfier de Tottenham qui est entré dans le dossier. #RMCsport
— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) June 25, 2019
However, the same journalist also mentioned that Saint-Etienne would want Saliba loaned back to them, should he move.
Condition incontournable pour Saint Étienne et le joueur d’être prêté dans la foulée une saison à Saint Étienne et rester dans le Forez !
— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) June 25, 2019
Now, Saint-Etienne boss Ghislain Printant has provided an update on Saliba’s future:
“The sale of Saliba is not an absolute necessity.
“There is no urgency. He is courted by clubs.
“From a sporting point of view we want to keep him next season and that’s his wish too. He still has room for development.
“We will see. Our goal is for him to be with us again this season.”As quoted by the Mirror.
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