William Saliba revealed he wouldn’t consider a move away from Arsenal in the wake of signing a new contract with the Gunners until he delivers silverware.
Saliba was linked with Real Madrid throughout the summer as question marks surrounded his future before signing a new deal through 2030. Trent Alexander-Arnold was used as an example during an Arsenal press conference ahead of their Champions League fixture on Wednesday as a player who was drawn to Madrid despite achieving success with Liverpool.
“He won some titles with Liverpool. Me? I didn’t win anything here except [the] Community Shield. I’ve done nothing for this club to think about leaving. I want to stay here and win a lot of trophies. I love this club. I cannot leave without giving them something back. I won nothing, so my first choice was to stay here and win everything first,” Saliba said.
Saliba: Not Really Focused on Other Clubs
Alexander-Arnold won every trophy available to him during his Liverpool tenure before leaving Merseyside on a free transfer over the summer. The England international highlighted Real Madrid’s legacy, ambition and desire to test himself.
Arsenal have finished second-best in three consecutive Premier League seasons, the first coinciding with Saliba’s debut season after spending the early years of his Arsenal tenure on loan in Ligue 1. The club has not reached a cup final, European or domestic, either since the 2019–20 season when Mikel Arteta won the FA Cup in his first season. Arsenal signed Saliba in the summer of 2019 under Unai Emery, but he was on loan with Saint-Étienne. The French defender also spent time on loan at OGC Nice and Olympique Marseille.
Since returning, he has been a prominent member of the Arsenal defence making 140 appearances for the club at the time of his contract renewal.
“I knew that I wanted to stay here for more years, so I was not really focused on the other clubs. I am happy to be here,” Saliba said.
“I think it’s the only thing missing here is winning trophies. We all believe in the project and the future. We have a good squad, good staff, good coach. We are close to achieving things so we have to keep going.”
Arsenal and Saliba look to make it two wins from two in Champions League league phase action when they host Olympiacos on Wednesday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as William Saliba Reveals Why He Turned Down Potential Real Madrid Move.
