William Saliba has confirmed that he will stay at Arsenal next season after intense speculation on the centre-back’s future following an incredible loan spell at Olympique Marseille.

In an interview with Telefoot, the 21-year-old defender revealed that he will return to north London this summer and fight for a spot in the Arsenal first team. Saliba joined the Gunners in 2019 in a £27m deal but is yet to play a single professional minute for the club.

Saliba has been on three separate loan spells, all of which were in France, since joining Arsenal, with his latest with Marseille seeing the defender win the Ligue 1 Rookie of the Year award as well as become a member of France’s senior team under Didier Deschamps.

After such an incredible year, speculation on Saliba’s future ran riot, with Marseille reportedly keen on signing the defender on a permanent deal after qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. However, the Arsenal defender has put these rumours to bed by confirming that he will stay in north London for next season.

Saliba said when asked about his future this summer: “I belong to Arsenal, I still have two years left. I will be at pre-season with Arsenal. I have played zero matches and I still want to show them my true talent and have the chance to play for these fans and this great club.”

Arsenal had one of the best defences in the Premier League last season, and whilst Saliba might not be a regular from the start in the new campaign, the Frenchman is no doubt an incredible option for the north London side, and the youngster staying is another huge result for Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners boss has been criticised in recent seasons for not putting faith in Saliba, yet with these new comments from the player himself, Arteta has once again managed to convince a talented player to stay at the club and to fight for a place in the first team next season.