Arsenal defender William Saliba joins Nice on loan for rest of season

Defender William Saliba has left Arsenal to join Ligue 1 side Nice on loan.

The 19-year-old has returned to France for the rest of the season, the Gunners have confirmed.

The move is designed to give Saliba more playing time with his only two games this season coming in the EFL Trophy – and he was sent off against AFC Wimbledon in December.

Arsenal technical director Edu said: “William Saliba is a player with a huge amount of talent and potential.

“We’re confident he will have a great career with us but we must remember that he is still only 19-years-old and has a lot of time ahead of him.

“William experienced a very challenging time last year, with his playing time limited by injury and the early ending of the Ligue 1 season due to the pandemic.

“So together with William, we have decided that spending the rest of the season on loan with Nice is the best way for him to develop.

“We will be keeping in close contact with William during his time with Nice and look forward to seeing him make good progress until the end of the season.”

Saliba joined Arsenal from St Etienne in July 2019 and spent the 2019/20 on loan at the club.