Arsenal defender William Saliba has spoken candidly about his journey with the club, revealing that he had to earn the trust of manager Mikel Arteta, who initially criticized him for being too “soft” in training.
Despite joining the club five years ago for a significant £27 million fee, Saliba struggled to break into the first team and spent two seasons on loan in France before finally getting his chance under Arteta.
Now, at 23, Saliba has established himself as a key player for Arsenal, playing a crucial role in their recent Premier League campaigns, where they have closely contested with Manchester City.
He is also set to play an important role for his national team in the upcoming European Championship.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Saliba reflected on his journey with Arsenal, expressing his admiration for Arteta’s tough love approach, which he believes has taken him to another level.
Saliba shared that Arteta taught him to have a good attitude and to be meaner in training, saying, “He wants the players to be scared when they see me.”
Saliba also praised Arteta’s attention to detail and his hatred of defeat, saying, “He is one of the best coaches in the world.
He looks at all the details and hates defeat. We work on each match differently.”
Looking ahead to next season, Saliba believes that Arsenal are making significant progress but acknowledges the formidable challenge posed by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
He said, “We know even more today that Manchester City can make mistakes, but that from February and March, they don’t miss anymore.
We played against them three times, we put them in difficulty.
They feel and we feel that we are close to them. Next year, we’re going to have an even better war.”
Saliba’s comments suggest that Arsenal are determined to close the gap with Manchester City and win their first league title in over 20 years.
With Saliba’s continued growth and development, along with Arteta’s guidance, Arsenal fans will be hoping that next season will be their year.
