William Saliba said an emotional goodbye to Saint-Etienne on Friday, as he prepares to leave the club and join up with Arsenal.
Writing on his Instagram page, William Saliba said goodbye to Saint-Etienne, the fans, the players and the coaches, insisting he’ll never forget his time in the city. It was an emotional post with footage and pictures of his spell.
View this post on Instagram
As we learned from Claude Puel earlier this week, Saliba won’t return to Saint-Etienne to play in the Coupe de France final later this month. Despite long negotiations between the club and Arsenal, they couldn’t reach an agreement.
Whilst this is hugely disappointing for Saliba, it’s hard to argue Arsenal should have done anything differently. Risking an injury to the player or paying Saint-Etienne for them to borrow him both seem like bad ideas, and the Ligue 1 club wouldn’t help them avoid either issue.
Regardless, all parties just have to move on now. Saint-Etienne need to try and win their final against Paris Saint-Germain without Saliba. The player needs to start his preparations for the new season. Arsenal need to help him settle at his new home.
William Saliba Instagram goodbye in full
“It is time for me to say goodbye to you with great emotion and sadness, and above all to thank you, the Greens, for all these wonderful years that I spent from my arrival at the training centre to the professional world.
“I want to thank all the coaches I have had, who have helped me progress and grow as a player and as a man. I would also like to thank all the club staff who work for our well-being on a daily basis.
“And of course, I thank from the bottom of my heart all the wonderful supporters who have always believed in me.
“Finally, I thank all my teammates with whom I was able to learn and share a wonderful time. I’m going to miss this beautiful cauldron that I’m not about to forget. Saint-Etienne is my city and I will always have a Green Heart.”