Arsenal Sign 18-Year Old William Saliba

Arsenal have won the race to sign William Saliba from Saint-Etienne amidst interest from North London rivals, Tottenham.

The 18 year old snubbed a last minute attempt by Tottenham to land him, favouring a move to the Emirates instead.

Saliba will reportedly cost Arsenal £27m with add-ons but will be loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the coming campaign.

This means that the Gunners could still be skeletal in their defence this coming season with Laurent Koscielny refusing to travel on the club’s preseason tour of the United States. The Gunners captain is a reported target for Ligue 1 clubs Bordeaux, Rennes and Lyon.

Saliba has now become Arsenal’s second signing of the summer after a capture of teenage sensation, Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli from Ituano.

Arsenal have been relatively slack in their summer transfers after being unable to land any big names with the signing of Zaha still far from being a reality.

Unai Emery has been pegged back by the meagre sum handed to him by the management of the club.

Crystal Palace, Wilfred Zaha is Emery’s most wanted player but the Eagles have maintained their asking price of £80 million, a sum which Arsenal are unwilling to part ways with this summer.

Their North London rivals have already signed a world class defender in Tanguy Ndombele and are looking to make one or two more transfers after shipping off Kierian Trippier to Atletico Madrid as a replacement for Juan fran.

Though, Saliba would be unavailable for selection in the coming season, the signing is a step in the right direction for the Gunners who have been lacking that strength and agility in their backline.

The 18 year old signing remains in tandem with their practice of signing young players and is a prospect for some future world class displays.

Arsenal will be willing to get back into the Champions League after failing to hit the top four mark last term.