Former Southampton and Leicester City boss Claude Puel, now in charge of Ligue 1 club St. Etienne, has criticised the decision to sell William Saliba to Arsenal.
The Gunners signed the 18-year-old on a long-term deal for a fee reportedly worth around £27m but he remained with the Ligue 1 side on loan for the current campaign.
That has proved to be valuable for the teenager, who has featured in four league matches this season as well as playing the entirety of the club's 1-1 draw in the Europa League with FC Olexandriya.
Arsenal's deal for Saliba is considered to be quite a coup for Unai Emery's men, with it likely his value with increase significantly in the coming years, and Puel has admitted he is unhappy with the club's decision.
"It’s done, adopted and I’ve got nothing to say because it helped perform. Saint-Etienne have held their rank these past few years. Finishing fourth is a great result," he told L'Equipe via Sport Witness when speaking about the club's transfer policy.
"Work was done in the short-term. Is this model viable? I don’t think it can make the club a success.
“Rather than buying a ready made player, I’d rather we buy him to develop him and help him grow. It’s hard to accept that we sell our best player, a young kid, to help fill the coffers.
"When you have to sell your gems to round up the budget and then do short term deals to fill in the gaps, you’re being reactionary."
