St Etienne have rejected Arsenal’s attempt to recall William Saliba from his loan spell in the January transfer window.
Arsenal signed Saliba from St Etienne last summer before sending him back to France on a season-long loan. The Gunners have now tried to cut short that deal in order to improve their own defence for the second-half of the campaign.
According to Gilles Favard, via Daily Cannon, St Etienne have flat out rejected Arsenal’s approach.
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It comes as no surprise to see St Etienne turn down Arsenal’s attempts. Why would they let one of their best players go just to help Arsenal out? This now means that Arsenal will need to delve into the transfer market to bring in a new centre-back, as Mikel Arteta clearly wants to strengthen in that position, or he would not have tried to get Saliba back.
Arsenal should look to sign an experienced, proven, centre-back to help them challenge for a top four finish in the second-half of the season, before bedding Saliba in over the summer ready for next season. The teenage defender still has a lot to learn, so signing an experienced head to teach him could be a wise move by the club.
