Arsenal defender William Saliba moves to French club Olympique de Marseille on loan
Arsenal defender William Saliba is preparing for his third loan term after Ligue 1 team Olympique de Marseille signed him for the 2021-22 season, the Premier League club announced on Thursday.
Last season, William spent six months on loan with Nice in Ligue 1. During his time with Nice, the 20 year-old defender made 22 appearances, with the Aiglons finishing the campaign in ninth.
Saliba, signed in 2019 from St Etienne for a reported fee of about 27 million pounds ($37 million), has yet to play for the senior team.
As part of the deal, he returned to St Etienne for a season on loan while he also had a six-month loan spell with Nice last season.
“Together with William, we have decided it will be good for his continued development to spend another season on loan. William joined us as an 18-year-old, and he is still only 20, so he is still developing all the time,” Arsenal Technical director Edu said in a statement.”William is a player with strong natural ability and next season has the potential to be really beneficial for him at Marseille, a good club. To play another season in Ligue 1 will be very important for his development. We will of course be keeping in close contact with William during the season and wish him all the best in France with Marseille,” he added.
