This archive report was first published on 25 July 2019.
On July 25, 2019, Arsenal announced the signing of French defender William Saliba from Saint-Etienne in a deal worth nearly €30 million.
However, the 18-year-old will be loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the rest of the season before joining his new Gunners teammates.
Saliba, who is currently sidelined by a groin injury, could be in line to start for Saint-Étienne when the French club kicks off their new season away at Dijon.
He is Arsenal's second signing of the day, following the loan deal of Real Madrid's Dani Ceballos.
Saliba expressed his excitement about joining Arsenal, saying, "It's a massive pleasure to sign for a really, really big English club. This is the biggest club in England for me, so it was an easy decision. I didn't think twice about signing here, so I'm really happy," shortly after his announcement.
Arsenal boss Unai Emery also welcomed Saliba, saying, "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."
