Arsenal have allowed William Saliba to return to France on loan, and his former teammate at St. Etienne has aimed a dig at the Gunners, for their treatment of the defender.
Saliba has joined Ligue 1 club Nice on loan for the remainder of this season, after the 19-year-old failed to make a first-team appearance under Mikel Arteta this term.
He immediately rejoined Saint-Etienne on loan but injury problems, followed by the French season being canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, restricted him to just 12 appearances.
Wishing you the very best for the rest of the season with @OGCNice, Wilo 💪 pic.twitter.com/iDjKzqDWQH
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 4, 2021
The teenager has had to settle for under-23 action for the Gunners, failing to make a first-team squad.
And his former center-back partner Fofana, who now plays for Leicester, is delighted Saliba is set to play first-team football soon.
Fofana posted on his Instagram story on Monday "He is finally free" in response to Nice's post about the signing.
Saliba's situation at Arsenal has bemused a lot of the club's supporters.
The Frenchman was expected to be a key part of Arteta's defense in the coming seasons.
Upon Saliba's departure, Gunners technical director Edu insisted he expects big things from the defender but says a loan was the best thing at this time.
