Emery hails Saliba capture
Unai Emery says he is very happy to see Arsenal fight off the competition to sign centre-half William Saliba from St Etienne.
The Gunners announced on Thursday that they had completed deals for both Saliba and Dani Ceballos after weeks of speculation.
While Ceballos has only joined on a season-long loan, Saliba has penned a long-term contract with Arsenal and is viewed as the future of the north Londoner's defence.
The France youth international will return to St Etienne on loan for the 2019/20 season before relocating to England and Emery is excited to watch his development closely in Ligue 1 next term.
Emery told the Arsenal website: “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. He will stay in France next season for more experience and then we look forward to him joining our group.”
Meanwhile, the 18-year-old says he was won over by Arsenal's history as he opted to join the Emirates Stadium outfit over their north London rivals, Tottenham.
"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," he told the club website.
When asked why he chose Arsenal, he replied: "Well, the history, the badge... since I was little, I've been watching Arsenal play in the Champions League and so on, and there are a lot of French players who have come through here. So that really helped me to make my mind up."
While Arsenal fans will have to wait to get their first glimpse of Saliba, Ceballos could make his first appearance in this weekend's Emirates Cup.
The Gunners take on Lyon and are 8/13 to continue their strong run of form in pre-season, while their French opponents are 3/1 and the draw 4/1.
Arsenal will hope to have Champions League football on offer when Saliba returns and are 6/4 for a top-four finish.
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Unai Emery says he is very happy to see Arsenal fight off the competition to sign centre-half William Saliba from St Etienne.
The Gunners announced on Thursday that they had completed deals for both Saliba and Dani Ceballos after weeks of speculation.
While Ceballos has only joined on a season-long loan, Saliba has penned a long-term contract with Arsenal and is viewed as the future of the north Londoner's defence.
The France youth international will return to St Etienne on loan for the 2019/20 season before relocating to England and Emery is excited to watch his development closely in Ligue 1 next term.
Emery told the Arsenal website: “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. He will stay in France next season for more experience and then we look forward to him joining our group.”
Meanwhile, the 18-year-old says he was won over by Arsenal's history as he opted to join the Emirates Stadium outfit over their north London rivals, Tottenham.
"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," he told the club website.
When asked why he chose Arsenal, he replied: "Well, the history, the badge... since I was little, I've been watching Arsenal play in the Champions League and so on, and there are a lot of French players who have come through here. So that really helped me to make my mind up."
While Arsenal fans will have to wait to get their first glimpse of Saliba, Ceballos could make his first appearance in this weekend's Emirates Cup.
The Gunners take on Lyon and are 8/13 to continue their strong run of form in pre-season, while their French opponents are 3/1 and the draw 4/1.
Arsenal will hope to have Champions League football on offer when Saliba returns and are 6/4 for a top-four finish.
View all Soccer betting
Source: bet365.com
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