William Saliba explains why he rejected Newcastle loan move

William Saliba has revealed he rejected the chance to join Newcastle United on loan in 2021, opting instead to return to France with Marseille in what proved to be a career-defining decision.

The Arsenal defender has become one of the Premier League's outstanding centre-backs since establishing himself at the Emirates Stadium, but his route to becoming a first-team regular could have taken a very different path.

Speaking to L'Equipe, the France international reflected on the summer Arsenal encouraged him to leave on loan once again.

After spending the second half of the 2020/21 season on loan at Nice, Saliba expected another temporary move when he returned to Arsenal.

The defender revealed he was not even asked to report for pre-season and was instead instructed to find another club.

Arsenal's preference was for Saliba to remain in England, with Newcastle United and Crystal Palace both proposed as destinations.

Instead, the Frenchman made it clear he wanted to return home.

"They didn't even tell me to come back during preseason. 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."

Saliba admitted Marseille were not initially his only option.

The 25-year-old explained that Lille came close to signing him before financial complications brought negotiations to an end.

"I remember that summer, it was either Lille or Marseille. I was very close to going to Lille, but there was a financial problem."

That ultimately opened the door for Marseille.

The move proved transformative.

Saliba became one of Ligue 1's standout defenders during the 2021/22 campaign before returning to Arsenal as a significantly more complete player.

He immediately established himself as a first-team regular under Mikel Arteta and has since developed into one of the cornerstones of Arsenal's defence.

The timing of Saliba's decision also adds another layer to the story.

When Arsenal proposed Newcastle as a destination, Steve Bruce was still in charge at St James' Park and the club had yet to begin its dramatic transformation following the Saudi-backed takeover later that year.

Eddie Howe was appointed in November 2021 and guided Newcastle away from relegation before establishing them among the Premier League's leading clubs.

Whether Saliba's development would have followed the same trajectory on Tyneside is impossible to know.

Instead, his season at Marseille provided the platform that eventually helped him become an Arsenal title winner and one of Europe's most highly-rated central defenders.

Saliba is now firmly established as one of Arsenal's most important players after helping the Gunners win the Premier League title. His latest comments offer fresh insight into one of the biggest turning points of his career and how close he came to taking a very different path.

For Newcastle, the revelation serves as a reminder of a transfer that might have been, before the club's transformation under Eddie Howe.

Did William Saliba make the right decision by choosing Marseille over Newcastle, or would his development have been just as successful in the Premier League?