William Saliba has committed his future to Arsenal, while also insisting that the Gunners have the potential to catch Liverpool at the Premier League summit.
The French defender, who has played a pivotal role in Mikel Arteta’s dynamic Arsenal side, scored in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Wednesday.
William Saliba expressed that there is no place like home when it comes to his footballing career.
When asked about his long-term future at the club amid reported interest from Real Madrid, the 23-year-old was quick to reaffirm his commitment to Arsenal.
Saliba said: “Yeah of course, I feel at home. I signed for the club five years ago but it’s only my third season and I’m enjoying everything – the players, the staff and the fans. I feel at home so of course, why not?”
The central defender remains optimistic that the Gunners can close the gap on Arne Slot’s pace-setting Reds, who didn’t play this weekend due to the postponement of the Merseyside derby.
His second-half goal in midweek helped reduce the gap at the top to seven points.
He declared: “Everything is possible.
“The season is very long and we’ve experienced that in the past two years.
“We just have to focus on ourselves, we are still only in December so there are still a lot of things that can happen.”
Saliba, speaking alongside goalkeeper Neto during a recent visit to Ashmount Primary School in Islington, expressed his pride in representing a club so deeply embedded in the local community.
The France international was mobbed by starstruck seven- and eight-year-old children as he participated in various activities.
He played football, answered questions, and even joined a reading class with the excited pupils.
Saliba highlighted how Arsenal’s strong sense of social responsibility and its deep-rooted connection to the local supporters and environment is fueling the team’s quest for success.
He added: “We’re so happy to be involved in this type of project.
“We know that when you love football, you want to see and meet football players like us.
“I never had the chance when I was younger, so it’s good to give back to the kids and be connected with our local community.
“Their support is a huge inspiration for us, we take it with us every time we go onto the pitch.
“We’ve all been in their place when we were young and from day one here, I could see we do a lot of things in the community for the kids.”
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