William Saliba has been warned that he isn't ready for the Premier League yet and that the hard work starts now, as he closes in on his move to join Arsenal.
The Gunners saw off a late bid from Tottenham Hotspur to sign the 18-year-old defender in a deal worth around £27m, although the teenager will not be seen at the Emirates Stadium for another year as he will return to France on loan as part of the agreement.
With just one season of first-team football under his belt, Saliba is still very raw but expectations are high for the teenage defender, as shown by the fact Arsenal were happy to spend a significant amount of cash on his services despite the fact he cannot provide an immediate boost to the first-team.
Spurs were reportedly keen for Saliba to join their first team squad immediately, rather than return on loan as Arsenal have agreed.
However, while Saint-Etienne captain Loic Perrin is unsurprised by Arsenal's advances for Saliba, he has warned the young defender that the hard work starts now as he looks to gain more experience from another campaign in Ligue 1.
"He blew up in the space of a year, the hardest part begins for him now," he told RMC Sport.
"He doesn't have many Ligue 1 matches under his belt. I hope this year will allow him to collect playing time so that he can leave ready."
Saint-Etienne, like Arsenal, are in Washington as part of their pre-season tour and images of Saliba alongside Gunners star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang circulated yesterday.
An announcement of Saliba's capture is expected imminently, with Unai Emery's side also chasing deals for Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos and Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney.
