“Surprising… or magical”, this is how French central defender William Saliba described his first season in the jersey of Olympique de Marseille. Indeed, the 21-year-old was one of Jorge Sampaoli’s key elements during the last exercise, with 52 games played in the second best defense in the championship (38 goals conceded): “It’s my first full season. I wanted to show who I really am. It’s a very positive result and really I’m very happy with my season.”
In an interview given to Telefootthe Marseillais admitted to fearing his arrival in Marseille last summer, before offering his supporters a qualification for the Champions League next season: “I was a little apprehensive because, well, Marseille when you have an eye from the outside, you say: “Oh yeah, that’s good, but it’s make or break”. And that’s why I had this little lump in my stomach saying to myself: “There, you go to a club and you mustn’t laugh, you mustn’t have fun, you have to play every match thoroughly”.
Saliba wants to prove to Arsenal
Summoned for the first time with the Blues last March, the former Stéphanois returned to his integration into the France group: “You see players you followed when you were little. And now you’re in the same locker room as them, you train with them, you play with them. When you taste this feeling, you no longer want to do without it, so I will work very very very hard to be called back as many times as possible.before admitting to having the World Cup in Qatar in sight. “Yes of course. When you are in the France team, you want to be there. It is a goal.”
Finally, when asked about his future, the international with 3 selections did not hide his desire to return to London, where he is linked with the Gunners until 2024 and where he wants to succeed in establishing himself in the workforce of Mikel Arteta: “I belong to Arsenal, I still have two years left. I will be back with Arsenal. I played zero matches and I still want to show them my true face and have the chance to play for these supporters and this great club. But it’s not just up to me. In any case, leaving like that would be a shame. The message got through.
