Saliba gives reasons for rejecting Real and signing with Arsenal

For three years in a row, Arsenal has finished second in the Premier League. And for three years in a row, the Gunners had the best defense in all of England. It‘s the same at the start of this season. After 10 games, Mikel Arteta‘s men allowed only three goals! On top of that, they are currently at the top of the league because this time, they have proper attacking players, something which they lacked in previous seasons. As for defense, it‘s always been the same – they are rock solid, mainly due to the fantastic partnership of William Saliba an Gabriel Magalhaes. Both central defenders are firm in tackles, excellent in air duels and form a great duo. Add players like Calafiori and Timber and it‘s no wonder Arsenal are almost impossible to score against. And recently the club from North London made one of the smartest decisions – they extended Saliba‘s contract, amid Real Madrid‘s interest.

Arteta reveals that William 'proper Arsenal' Saliba never had doubts about staying

For the first time since panning a deal with the Gunners, the French international revealed why he choose to stay in London even thou one of the biggest clubs in the world was asking about his services.

“Of course, it's always tempting when a club like that tries to lure you, but for me, my desire was to stay at Arsenal. First, win trophies, before thinking about anything else“ he told Telefoot.

In Madrid, he would have played with lots of his France teammates like Kylian Mbappe, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni. However, the connection with those players will remain solely at international level.

“No, no, the Bondy connection is with the French national team, for now' Saliba clarified when asked about the possibility of joining Mbappe at Madrid next season. At the end of September, Saliba signed a new five-year contract, meaning he'll stay at Emirates Stadium until the end of the decade.