William Saliba recently revealed that he had to earn the trust of Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, who often told him he was too “soft” during training.
Saliba, who joined Arsenal from French club St-Etienne five years ago for a significant £27 million, initially struggled to get into the main team. He spent two full seasons back in France on loan before getting his chance with Arteta.
Now, at 23 years old, Saliba has become an important player for Arsenal, playing a big role in their recent Premier League seasons where they have been strong competitors against Manchester City.
He is also set to be a key player for the French national team in the upcoming European Championship.
Looking back on his time with Arsenal, Saliba spoke highly of Arteta, while also acknowledging the tough approach the coach had with him early on.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Saliba said, “He taught me to have a good attitude. Sometimes he thought I was a little soft in training, so he asked me to be tougher. He wants the other players to be a bit scared when they see me.
He helped me improve a lot. He is one of the best coaches in the world. He pays attention to all the details and hates losing. We prepare for each match differently.”
After the European Championship this summer, Arsenal will continue their quest for their first league title in over 20 years, having come close but not quite making it last season. Saliba thinks the team is getting better but knows they have a tough opponent in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
“We know now more than ever that Manchester City can make mistakes, but from February and March, they rarely do,” Saliba said.
“We played against them three times and made it hard for them. They know, and we know, that we are close to their level. Next year, we’re going to be even stronger in our fight.”
