In the fall of 2020, William Saliba’s career almost changed. Having just arrived at Arsenal after his transfer from Saint-Étienne, the French defender then went through a particularly dark period, marked by the death of his mother, low motivation and a complicated integration into a completely new environment. As told The Teamthe player discovered a demanding locker room and high physical intensity in the Premier League, even though he had not yet digested a deeply personal mourning. In this context, those close to him describe a very affected young man, sometimes mute, far from the image of the confident defender that he is today.
Sportingly, the situation deteriorated quickly. Left out of Mikel Arteta’s plans, Saliba did not play in the first official matches and even found himself playing with the U23s, a difficult downgrade for a player recruited for around €30 million. “I was really bad, I was never in the group”he confided later, evoking a period when everything was mixed between sporting doubts and personal suffering. Little by little, the idea of leaving emerged as a necessity to get back on track. In January, he left London on loan, with tracks at Leeds and Nice, before choosing OGC Nice. A decisive choice: this time in France allowed him to regain playing time, confidence, but also mental balance, before his gradual return to the highest level, which would then lead him to establish himself permanently at Arsenal and with the Blues.
