Saliba's Arsenal future to be 'decided soon', says Arteta

The Gunners defender has yet to make a senior appearance this season and wasn't even registered in their 25-man Europa League squad

Arsenal have yet to decide whether William Saliba will be sent out on loan in January.

The 19-year-old centre-back has yet to make a senior appearance for the Gunners following his £27 million move from Saint Etienne in 2018.

He was expected to be a key player this season, having spent the 2019/20 campaign back on loan with his former club in Ligue 1, but things have not gone to plan.

Saliba has suffered some personal issues off the pitch and had to deal with the death of his mother soon after making his move to England.

His struggles to adapt saw him left out of Arsenal’s 25-man squad for the Europa League and he has yet to play a single minute in the Premier League or even make a matchday squad.

The centre-back has instead had to make do with some appearances for the Under-23s and it has been widely expected that he will leave on loan once the January transfer window opens, with Saint Etienne the likely destination.

Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League meeting with Dundalk on Thursday night, however, Mikel Arteta said a final decision on the defender’s future had yet to be made.

“It's something that we are discussing at the moment,” said the Arsenal boss. “The best thing for us to do. It will be decided soon.”