Arsenal Confirm William Saliba Transfer, Player Returns to Saint-Etienne on Loan

Arsenal confirmed on Thursday they have completed the signing of centre-back William Saliba from Saint-Etienne: 

The Gunners announced the 18-year-old defender has signed a "long-term contract" but "will spend a season back on loan at Saint-Etienne before joining our squad next summer."

Manager Unai Emery said, per the club's official website: “We're delighted William is joining us. Many teams wanted him but he decided he wanted to come to us and be part of our future. He will stay in France next season for more experience and then we look forward to him joining our group."

According to Sam Dean of the Daily Telegraph, Arsenal will part with a fee in the region of £27 million to sign the France youth international.

It's added the decision to send Saliba back to Saint-Etienne "means that Arsenal will be able to pay the fee in a greater instalment next summer rather than using up a sizeable chunk of their budget for this transfer window."

Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe said the move to send Saliba back to France represents astute business:

The loan will also give Saliba an opportunity to continue getting regular first-team football and remain on the positive upward trajectory he's been enjoying in the early stages of his career.

WhoScored provided the numbers breaking down what was a memorable 2018-19 for the young defender:

Given centre-back is such an unforgiving position, for Saliba to have established himself as a regular in the French top flight last season is a testament to his talent and temperament.

He was outstanding for Saint-Etienne towards the back end of the 2018-19 season. Saliba has shown he is physically equipped for top-flight football, while his natural defensive instincts shone through when he was given opportunities.

With that in mind, there are still raw aspects to his game, and another season playing in Ligue 1 makes sense.

Football writer James Dall thinks that decision means Arsenal require more reinforcements in defence, though:

Last season, centre-back was a problem area for the team, with manager Unai Emery undecided on his best combination in defence. Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis Papastathopoulos were the most dependable options, with Rob Holding injured for long spells and Shkodran Mustafi out of form.

In Saliba, they know they will at least have a high-quality option to come into the squad next season. Arsenal supporters will hope he returns to a team that's playing UEFA Champions League football in 2020-21.