Just six days into his loan spell at Nice, William Saliba is already showing Arsenal what they are missing.
The France U20 international has taken to his Ligue 1 club with ease, slotting into the heart of their defence and playing two games already for his new side.
On Saturday Saliba's performance was of such a high standard he was awarded the man of the match award during the 1-1 draw with Metz.
Mikel Arteta's unwillingness to give the teenager a start has baffled many Arsenal fans and the French club is already keen on extending the defender's stay.
Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere has admitted that he has already looked at the possibility of Saliba staying beyond his six-month loan.
"Let’s let him rediscover enjoying being on the pitch, playing," he said. "At the end of the six months, we’ll see – today he’s owned by a club called Arsenal. Everyone in June will come together and decide."
On the possibility of Saliba staying at Nice next season, Rivere added: "A door is always open in life. When you have a situation where parties can talk, the doors are open. We will see, we are not there yet."
As football.london reported on Friday Saliba is also open to staying with Nice for longer than just this season.
Arsenal fans reacted with mixed emotions to Saliba's man of the match display with some calling it an Arteta 'masterclass', whilst others claiming his performance is proof he is good enough for the Gunners and that 'Arteta hates him for no reason.'
@XhakaWinter: Arteta hates him for no reason. I’m so happy for him.
@DeanJamesAFC: Loaning Saliba to Nice was a masterclass by Arteta... MOTM performance yesterday, he’ll continue to grow into his game and build his confidence - Exactly what Mikel wanted during his loan back to ASSE initially.
@pray4greys: But apparently he's not good enough to make the arsenal bench.
@COYG98: Good to see him playing well, hopefully he comes back to Arsenal fit and ready to play in pre season
As ever with Saliba opinion is mixed amongst the fan base as to whether he should be in London challenging for a first-team spot or if a loan is the right move for him.
With Nice already interested in keeping the defender beyond his six-month loan, Gunners fans will be following his progress closely and hoping Arteta is suitably impressed to give him a chance next season.
