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Arsenal defender William Saliba will join Nice on loan for the rest of the season.
However, the deal does not include an option to buy for the Ligue 1 side because the Gunners sill believe the teenager will have a big part to play for them in the future.
Saliba was signed from St. Étienne in the summer of 2018 but immediately loaned back to the Ligue 1 side.
When he finally hooked-up with his new club last summer, hopes were high for him. However, Mikel Arteta decided he was not ready for first-team football and left him out of both his Premier League and Europa League squads.
He was forced to play under-23 football, where he earned himself two red cards.
The Gunners’ treatment of the highly rated defender has given rise to a lot of criticism, not least from the club’s own supporters, but now it is hoped he will gain valuable first-team experience and come back ready to play for them at the highest level.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.