Matteo Guendouzi reveals he wants William Saliba to stay at Marseille as he has Ligue 1 side ‘in his heart’… despite the defender recently confirming he will return to Arsenal next season
- Matteo Guendouzi has revealed he wants William Saliba to remain at Marseille
- The defender has yet to make competitive Arsenal first-team appearance
- He flourished during his loan spell with the French side in the 2021-22 campaign
- But Saliba recently revealed his desire to return to the Gunners next season
Matteo Guendouzi has revealed he wants William Saliba to stay at Marseille despite the latter recently confirming he will return to Arsenal next season.
The 21-year-old centre-back joined the Gunners from Saint-Etienne in a £27million deal in 2019 but has yet to play a competitive first-team match for the north London side.
Instead, he has been sent on loan back to Saint-Etienne as well as to fellow Ligue 1 clubs Nice and Marseille, excelling at the latter in the 2021-22 season.
Matteo Guendouzi (left) is keen for defender William Saliba (right) to stay at Marseille
Guendouzi, who also spent last season on loan at Marseille, is confident Saliba will return to the Ligue 1 side next season, claiming he has the club ‘in his heart’.
The midfielder said: ‘William [Saliba] now has Marseille in his heart.
‘I’m sure that he’ll come back to Marseille next season.
‘I’m going to keep pushing so that he stays with us.’
Earlier this month, Saliba insisted he is ready to show his ‘true face’ to boss Mikel Arteta – whose men will be competing in the Europa League next term – and represent ‘this great club’.
‘I belong to Arsenal, I still have two years left,’ he said speaking to Telefoot.
William Saliba recently confirmed he will ‘be back with Arsenal’ following a dramatic U-turn
Guendouzi spent the season on loan with the French outfit and says it’s his best one yet
‘I will be back with Arsenal. I have played zero matches and I still want to show them my true face and have the chance to play for these fans and this great club.
‘It doesn’t just depend on me. In any case, to leave like this, would be a shame.’
Meanwhile, Guendouzi enjoyed a successful loan spell in France, playing 55 games in all competitions – with five goals and 11 assists.
Reflecting on the season, the 23-year-old , who is expected to complete a permanent switch to Marseille this summer, said: ‘I couldn’t have hoped for a better season than the one that I spent with Marseille.
‘With the French national team as well, it is quite simply my best season as a professional.’
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