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Mikel Arteta reveals a tricky relationship with a key Arsenal player when he arrived

Originally posted on HITC | By Shamanth Jayaram | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 11:13 AM ET

Over the years, Mikel Arteta has instigated numerous changes at Arsenal.

When he arrived, the Gunners were in a rough spot. The squad were ageing, and several players who probably should have moved on long ago were still hanging around. The mood inside the Emirates was tense as well.

Arteta also had some run-ins with players early on. Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi were dropped from the squad in his first year, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang followed a couple of seasons later.

On the other hand, one player who had issues with Arteta early on now has a much better relationship with him.

Mikel Arteta shares his early experiences working with William Saliba

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William Saliba was on loan at Saint-Etienne when Arteta became Arsenal’s manager.

Saliba came back to the club that summer and was included on the bench for the Community Shield against Liverpool. He also featured in a pre-season friendly.

But when Arteta left him out of the squad for the first part of that season, it sparked rumours that he was not convinced by Saliba.

The defender was then loaned to Nice for half a year, before spending a full season at Marseille.

Looking back, Arteta admitted there were differences early on, particularly around how best to develop Saliba’s career.

“Probably all of them (he exceeded all expectations). I would say, especially, the way we started our relationship,” he said via HaytersTV.

“Probably we had different expectations or ideas of how to create the best pathway for him to fulfil his potential. But I think at some point we got to the same conclusion, to the same line, and we started to work together.

“From there, with the help of all the coaches and players, everything started to flourish because it was clear that the potential was there. It was about timing and especially, in my opinion, creating the right environment and players for him to deliver what he could do.”

Mikel Arteta recalls what he told William Saliba before handing him his break at Arsenal

Saliba’s early days at Arsenal could not have been easy.

The Frenchman had been brought in by Unai Emery, but by the time he had returned from his loan, Emery was already gone. And when Arteta assessed him, he felt Saliba still needed more time to develop.

But once the defender came back from his spell at Marseille and started training with the first team again, Arteta began to change his mind.

He said: “After that, when I saw him and looked in his eyes, I said: ‘In my opinion you are ready, what do you think?’ And he said: ‘Yeah, I’m ready.’ And then we started and everything started to flourish.”

Since then, Saliba has become a key player for the Gunners and looks set to extend his stay with the club.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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