By Nnamdi Onyeagwara

11th Jul, 2022 | 12:10pm

Arsenal defender William Saliba spotted back at Arsenal as he poses with a fan

Arsenal defender William Saliba has been spotted back at Arsenal, taking a picture with a fan in North London today (11 July).

The defender spent the last season on loan at Marseille and there was speculation about his future, but he and manager Mikel Arteta have since confirmed that the French defender will remain at the club this season.

With Arsenal due back today (11 July) at London Colney to continue their pre-season preparations ahead of a trip to America, Saliba has been seen taking a picture with a gleaming fan.

Huge addition for Arsenal

The return of the 21-year-old centre-back is a huge addition for the club and will feel like a new signing for a player who has never been given a chance in the team.

Saliba was signed from St Ettienne in 2019 for £27m, and was immediately loaned back to the Ligue 1 club the next season.

Since then, he has been loaned to Ligue 1 two more times, once with Nice and last season with Marseille.

His last season was his best to date and he showed the biggest signs of his improvement and potential, as he made 52 appearances for Les Olympiens on his way to winning the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year Award and qualifying for the Champions League.

The Gunners now have an increasingly strong back line with defenders Ben White and Gabriel forging a strong partnership last season and keeping 17 clean sheets last season.

Adding an exciting, young defender like Saliba to their defensive ranks is a huge addition to Arteta’s Arsenal team as they pursue Champions League football this season.

In other news, Arsenal’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy has revealed his desire to play first-team football next season.