August 6, (THEWILL) – William Saliba, Arsenal’s impressive defender against Crystal Palace, said he was “so happy” to have made his team debut for the Gunners, opening with a win and clean sheet in Friday’s English Premier League opener.
Saliba transferred to Arsenal in 2019 at the age of 18 for £27 million. However, he spent the previous three seasons on loan at Saint-Etienne, Nice, and Marseille, where he played 52 times in all competitions and won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award last season.
The centre defender entered the field at Selhurst Park, having never participated in a competitive first-team match for Arsenal, but he appeared to fit right in. He expressed his excitement with the Arsenal website after the game: “It was very good because we start with a win and a clean sheet. It was a tough game, but we won at the end, so very good. I’ve waited a long time, but we (did it) in my first ever game, and I am so happy.”
“It’s very good when you start to have your first (chance) in this amazing club. So I am so happy, and hungry for more. We knew it would be a very hard game, but we were prepared and we were focused. It’s good for the confidence, it’s very good and I hope we will keep going like this. We play as 11 and the players who came home, they gave their maximum.”
Saliba’s performance impressed manager Mikel Arteta, who was rightly pleased given the conditions of what could be a very difficult encounter: For William, to ask him to come here in his first Premier League game away from home against this physical team is a big task and the way the boy played and the way he resolved every situation, he deserves a lot of credit, and I will pat his back because he was superb.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
