Newcastle United wanted to sign the Arsenal defender on loan, but he opted for Marseille instead.
Arsenal centre-back William Saliba has revealed he turned down a loan move to Newcastle United in the summer of 2021.
Saliba had just come off the back of loan spells at Saint-Etienne and Nice when the Magpies, along with Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, declared their interest.
The Gunners wanted Saliba to stay in England and had he joined Newcastle, he would have witnessed PIF’s £305million takeover of the club and Eddie Howe’s appointment as head coach.
However, the Frenchman pushed to join Marseille instead, a move that ultimately paid off. Upon his return 12 months later, the defender was called into the first team by Mikel Arteta and has been a regular ever since.
Arsenal defender reveals Newcastle United loan snub
Salibia told L’Equipe: “They didn’t even tell me to come back during pre-season. They told me to find a club on loan. Arsenal wanted me to go to Newcastle or Crystal Palace, but I didn’t want to. I remember that summer, it was either Lille or Marseille. I was very close to going to Lille, but there was a financial problem.
“Marseille is a big club, but it's intimidating. That was the season when things were a bit chaotic, when the fans went to the training ground. But my agent and I said to each other: ‘Marseille, if you go there and have a good season, you'll be in the French national team and things can move very quickly’.
“Jorge Sampaoli really wanted me. I went to Marseille and things happened incredibly fast. I played almost every match. My stock rose, and I started to enjoy myself again.
“In March, I started my first call-ups to the French national team. It was an incredible year. Marseille, honestly, I really loved it. The fans, the club, my teammates... That's football: you start at the bottom, it's not the end of the world. Hang in there. If you do things right, you'll get back to the top.”
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