AS Saint-Etienne cannot count on William Saliba for the final of the Coupe de France against Paris Saint-Germain on July 24 at the Stade de France.
The Greens wanted the 19-year-old central defender to play the game before joining Arsenal, who bought it last summer before lending it to the club forézien. In a press release, Saint-Etienne justified the absence of the native of Bondy.
“AS Saint-Étienne was pleased to learn yesterday Tuesday that Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach, was ready to leave William Saliba at the disposal of the club until the final of the Coupe de France, July 24 next. William Saliba had been training for several days with Claude Puel’s group and was obviously very enthusiastic about the idea of finishing his course in Green with such a match. Alas, ASSE, which simply wanted the extension of the initial loan until July 24, could not find an agreement in the evening with Arsenal to allow the defender to properly prepare and play this meeting, the English club imposing absolutely unacceptable sports and financial conditions.“
Appearing 36 times this season, all competitions combined, William Saliba will therefore no longer play with ASSE, unlike captain Loïc Perrin who extended his contract by one month.