William Saliba has declared himself ready to fight for a spot in the Arsenal starting line-up following his return from his third loan spell in France.
The defender initially signed for the Gunners from Saint-Etienne back in 2019 but was immediately loaned back to the French club for the next season.
He then spent the following campaign on loan to Nice, before another temporary spell at Marseille last term, with the defender having earned rave reviews and having won the Ligue 1 young player of the year award.
Saliba has now linked up with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal squad for their pre-season tour of the USA, and the Frenchman says he is determined to win a spot in the team next term.
Speaking to Arsenal Player, Saliba said: “We [Saliba and Arteta] spoke a little bit on Monday and will speak more.
“My plan is to work, to fight, to work with the team, to win everything that is possible. To grow more and to win everything and fight for this season.”
He added: “It feels good to be back and starting pre-season. I’m so excited to continue training and playing in the friendly games. It’s important to be here with the fans, as well as my teammates. I hope we’ll enjoy some good training and games which is important before the start of the season.”
Saliba also revealed that he kept a close eye on Arsenal’s fortunes last season, knowing that he would likely be returning to the north London club this summer.
He added: “When I was on loan I watched every single [Arsenal] game because when I was there some players weren’t. I watched the games to see how they played, so when I was back it would be easier to play with those I hadn’t met before.
“It’s important that the fans are behind you, and I like it very much. I can’t wait to give back to them.”
Saliba was a regular fixture in the Marseille team last season as he made 52 appearances across all competitions and helped them to finish second behind champions PSG.
He also made his senior international debut for France earlier in the year, and has been capped five times in total since then.
Saliba could make his Premier League debut for Arsenal when the Gunners travel to Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the season.