Nice chief hints at possibility of extended stay for Arsenal’s William Saliba

Nice switch

The major transfer news at the Emirates last week of course came in the form of confirmation that Saliba had departed north London for the 2nd-half of the campaign.

In a post across the club’s social media platforms, Arsenal announced that their out-of-favour young stopper had returned to his home country with OGC Nice, on a 6-month loan:

🗞 William Saliba has joined Ligue 1 side Nice on loan for the remainder of the season

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 4, 2021

This of course came with Saliba having failed to garner a single first-team appearance under Mikel Arteta over the opening half of the campaign.

‘Door is always open…’

Despite his struggles for game-time at the Emirates, though, Saliba has since been plugged directly into the backline of his new club.

Nice fell to a 2-0 defeat to Brest last Wednesday, with the Arsenal stopper, just days after his arrival, having been utilised from the off.

And Saliba was back in from the first whistle over the weekend, when Les Aiglons made the trip to Metz, for a Ligue 1 clash.

The youngster, much like his side, fared considerably better in his latest outing, with a key interception to snuff out a potential gut-punch at the death having ensured that the visitors returned to the southeast of France with a share of the spoils:

This was a point-saving intervention from William Saliba on Thierry Ambrose in the dying embers of last night’s match vs Metz. pic.twitter.com/580b6iHoP8

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) January 10, 2021

And, as outlined above, if the latest comments on the part of Nice’s president are anything to go by, then the club’s fans could yet be treated to watching Saliba in action in their side’s colours beyond the terms of his current deal.

When drawn on the possibility of the young stopper remaining at the Allianz Riviera past the summer, Jean-Pierre Rivere had the following to say:

‘Let’s let him rediscover enjoying being on the pitch, playing.’

‘At the end of the six months, we’ll see – today he’s owned by a club called Arsenal. Everyone will come together in June and decide.’

‘A door is always open in life. When you have a situation where parties can talk, the doors are open. We will see, we are not there yet.’

Quotes via Goal

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Source: 101greatgoals.com