William Saliba reveals he watched every Arsenal match while out on loan

William Saliba has admitted that he tuned in to watch every Arsenal match possible during his three spells out on loan.

The centre-back signed for the Gunners aged 19 back in the summer of 2019 for around £27m from Saint-Etienne. He spent the 2019/20 campaign back on loan with Les Verts, before heading to Nice the following year and Marseille last season.

Now back with Arsenal’s first team for a full pre-season, Saliba has revealed that he kept up to date with the north London side’s fixtures in order to understand how he would fit in.

“When I was on loan I watched every single [Arsenal] game because when I was there some players weren’t. I watched the games to see how they played, so when I was back it would be easier to play with those I hadn’t met before,” he told the club’s website.

“It’s important that the fans are behind you, and I like it very much. I can’t wait to give back to them.”

Saliba added that he has been in close contact with manager Mikel Arteta and is looking forward to getting the chance to impress everyone at the club ahead of the new season.

“We spoke a little bit on Monday and will speak more,” he added. “My plan is to fight and work with the team, win as much as possible, and grow more.

“It feels good to be back and starting pre-season. I’m so excited to continue training and playing in the friendly games. It’s important to be here with the fans, as well as my teammates. I hope we’ll enjoy some good training and games which is important before the start of the season.”