William Saliba speaks out over Arsenal future as fresh Arthur update surfaces
A pair of updates surrounding the personnel situation at Premier League giants Arsenal have come to the fore late on Thursday evening.
The first pertains to the future of on-loan defender William Saliba.
Amid a starring stint back in his home country of France with Olympique Marseille, highly-regarded Gunners talent Saliba was once more drawn on whether or not he expects to return to base in north London upon the conclusion of the campaign.
Saliba, though, was keen to keep his cards close to his chest.
In quotes unveiled by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the 20-year-old admitted that, as things stand, his focus remains solely on the situation at Marseille, with plenty of time remaining ‘to think about’ his future:
OM centre back William Saliba on his future: “Arsenal? The only thing that I can tell you is that I am happy at Marseille, that is positive. Everything is going well here – there will be discussions in summer. We’ve time to think about it”, he told RMC Sport. 🔵 #AFC #OM
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 27, 2022
Juve stay
Next comes a fresh insight into the situation of a long-time target on the part of the Gunners.
The player in question? Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo.
Brazilian international Arthur has of course been tipped to make the move to the Emirates throughout the winter transfer window, amid efforts on the part of Mikel Arteta and co. to add some much-needed depth to the club’s ranks in the middle of the park.
To this point, however, an agreement has not been found with Juventus, all the more frustrating when taking into account the fact that the Bianconeri just this week nabbed Fiorentina sensation Dusan Vlahovic from under the noses of Arsenal.
FLORENCE, ITALY – JANUARY 17: Dusan Vlahovic of ACF Fiorentina celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and Genoa CFC at Stadio Artemio Franchi on January 17, 2022 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Arthur’s situation, though, appears unlikely to change any time soon, amid claims on the part of the Daily Mail that the former Barcelona man is inching ever closer to staying put for the remainder of the campaign.
This comes as the transfer chiefs at the Allianz Stadium continue to demand an 18-month loan deal, rather than the six-month terms on offer from Arsenal.
In addition, as has long been common knowledge, the Bianconeri are hesitant to sanction Arthur’s departure without first securing a replacement for the 25-year-old.
Arsenal’s 18-month loan bid for Juventus midfielder Arthur is on the brink of collapsehttps://t.co/PDYZFBILSZ
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) January 27, 2022
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 23 | 41 | 57 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 22 | 39 | 48 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 24 | 30 | 47 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 22 | 6 | 38 |
| 5 | West Ham United | 23 | 10 | 37 |
| 6 | Arsenal FC | 21 | 8 | 36 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 | 2 | 36 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 21 | 3 | 34 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 22 | 0 | 30 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 20 | -3 | 26 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 21 | -4 | 26 |
| 12 | Southampton FC | 22 | -8 | 25 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | 22 | -3 | 24 |
| 14 | Brentford FC | 23 | -12 | 23 |
| 15 | Leeds United | 21 | -16 | 22 |
| 16 | Everton FC | 20 | -11 | 19 |
| 17 | Norwich City | 22 | -32 | 16 |
| 18 | Newcastle United | 21 | -22 | 15 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 20 | -17 | 14 |
| 20 | Burnley FC | 18 | -11 | 12 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 16 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 9 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 8 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 8 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 7 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 7 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 7 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 7 |
| Silva, Bernardo | Manchester City | 7 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 6 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 6 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 6 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 7 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 6 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 7 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 6 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 6 |
| Westwood, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 6 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 6 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 6 |
| Laporte, Aymeric | Manchester City | 1 | 5 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 6 |
| Llorente, Diego | Leeds United | 0 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 6 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United | 0 | 5 |
| Ward, Joel | Crystal Palace | 0 | 6 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 0 | 4 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 5 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 1 | 4 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 1 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 9 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 8 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 7 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 7 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 5 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 5 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 5 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Redmond, Nathan | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 4 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 4 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 4 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 4 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 4 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 4 |
