Arsenal defender William Saliba will spend the rest of the season on loan at Nice.
The 19-year-old signing from Saint-Etienne joined in a deal worth £28m in July 2019 but has yet to make a first team appearance for the Gunners.
football.london revealed last month that Saliba has cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines due to his lack of first team football and his desire was always to return to France on loan.
When asked by football.london when we can expect to see Saliba feature in the first team, Arteta admitted that the defender has made "massive improvements" in the last few months, although it always remained likely that he would go out on loan.
“Whenever we have the spaces and we believe that he’s ready to play with us,” he said.
“To be fair, he’s made massive improvements in the last few months and it’s been a really tricky situation for him.
“As I mentioned before, we designed a pathway for him and there were a lot of things that happened to him in his personal life and professionally as well.
“Now we’ve made some steps forwards, he’s working really hard and played for the under-21s again."
Saliba's loan move doesn't include an obligation to buy and it's expected that Nice will cover his salary as the youngster looks to continue his development back home.
The French defender, a boyhood Arsenal fan, picked the Gunners over the likes of Atletico Madrid, Manchester United, Tottenham and Everton before joining up with former head coach Unai Emery in the summer of 2019.
He will have at a medical at Nice this morning before signing his contract later this afternoon.
