William Saliba: Arsenal send defender to Marseille on loan

The 20-year-old centre-back joined the Gunners from St Etienne in 2019.

William Saliba joined Arsenal two summers ago (Getty Images)

Arsenal defender William Saliba will spend the upcoming season on loan at Ligue 1 side Marseille

The 20-year-old centre-back joined the Gunners from St Etienne in 2019 for a reported £27million but has yet to make his first-team debut.

He was loaned back to St Etienne for the 2019-20 campaign and spent the second half of last season with Nice.

And Arsenal announced on Thursday the France Under-20 international would have another loan stint in his home country with a one-year stay at Marseille.

Technical director Edu told the club’s website: “Together with William, we have decided it will be good for his continued development to spend another season on loan.

“William joined us as an 18-year-old, and he is still only 20, so he is still developing all the time.

“William is a player with strong natural ability and next season has the potential to be really beneficial for him at Marseille, a good club.

“To play another season in Ligue 1 will be very important for his development.”