The Arsenal and France international confirmed that there is ‘nothing’ to worry about, amid rumours that Real Madrid have been keeping a close eye on the 23-year-old to boost their defence.
“I’m really happy here,” Saliba assured. “I have two years and a half as well. There is nothing. I’m happy here and I want to continue here.”
The Arsenal defender could play Real Madrid, with either the reigning Champions League winners or Atletico Madrid to come in the next round, should they not lose in dramatic fashion against PSV.
Saliba joined Arsenal back in 2019 for £27 million but was sent back on loan to Saint-Étienne. He spent two more seasons developing his game in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice and AS Monaco before being thrown into the Gunners’ backline at the start of the 2022-2023 campaign.
Since his debut in August against Crystal Palace, the French defender has become a stalwart in Arteta’s side, staking his claim as one of the league, if not the world’s best central defenders.
“I want to be one day the best defender in the world. I know I have to work a lot to win trophies as well. But, yes it’s my dream.
“I think I’m not so far, but I’m not the best at the moment because, for me, this season I have not been so good," Saliba admits. "It’s like this, I have to review my season. I have to work on my games. I have to watch, especially my partner Gabriel [Magalhaes], who has been so, so good this season. And there are a few as well. But, yeah, of course I have to focus on myself and work more."
Saliba has struck a formidable partnership with Gabriel as a centre-back duo, becoming arguably the best defensive pairing in the Premier League. In addition, his relationship with the other defenders, such as Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly has made him an elite asset to have in the backline.
“I think I’m lucky because even with the injury of Ben White, Timber came back from an ACL, a big injury, and played like he never had an ACL before. He’s so good. We are lucky to have good defenders like this because he plays so, so good. Ben and Timber are the same. We have to adapt. We are so happy to have good defenders like this.”
Asked what he could improve to make him an even better defender, the French international conceded that his concentration could be better.
*"My concentration, I have to score more. I have to help my team to win some trophies. When you win some trophies now, you can say, yes, I’m the best. But, we didn’t win. As I said, this season I didn’t help my team to win some trophies. But we’re still in the Champions League. The Premier League is not finished. So, I have to push to demand more myself to help my team."*
The 23-year-old, who has been pictured as a child in Arsenal shirts, mentioned that his passion for playing in red and white comes from his love for the club growing up.
“I was a big fan when I was young. When I celebrate a goal, it’s because football games are so hard to win. When my teammates score a goal, I’m so happy. I always had this passion, especially because I’m a big fan of this club. Playing there and scoring there is like a dream for me. I enjoy everything, every day, every game. That’s it.”
Saliba also mentioned his desire to bring more trophies to North London, asserting that he could become another 'forgotten' player if no silverware is won during his time with the Gunners.
"I want to win big things with Arsenal. Because if you leave this club and you don’t win anything, the fans and the people will forget about you. Of course, I want to win big things here."
With a six-goal advantage coming into Wednesday evening, it may provide Mikel Arteta with the opportunity to give some players a chance that are not usually included. This may mean valuable rest for Saliba and others who haven’t had it easy this season.
“We all want to play tomorrow because it is a Champions League game. We play at home and we want to win tomorrow, because it can give us a lot of confidence and we can be qualified, so tomorrow is an important game for us.
*“If we want to be there in the next two months, we have to win tomorrow or not lose. Everyone wants to win the Champions League, because this competition is one competition that you watch when you are young, and you want to win. And we know that the competition is really hard to win, so we’ll give everything and anything can happen.”*