Arsenal youngster Marli Salmon is set to follow in William Saliba’s footsteps by heading out on a loan or two over the coming seasons, according to a report.
Isaan Khan reports for the Daily Mail that they understand Arsenal are looking to develop young talent Marli Salmon in the same way they did with William Saliba, giving him a loan or two starting from next season before they fully integrate him into the first-team squad.
Salmon obviously made his Arsenal debut on Wednesday, coming off the bench in the Champions League clash with Club Brugge, but the circumstances were somewhat unusual.
Arsenal had four defenders out injured and one struggling with a knock, and the Gunners were winning the match 3-0. It was a rare occasion where bringing on a 16-year-old was actually less risky than leaving him on the bench.
In general, Arsenal are clearly taking a longer-term view with Salmon’s development, but there’s no doubt they rate the centre-back highly.
Khan reports that part of the reason the Gunners ultimately accepted Ayden Heaven’s sale to Manchester United was because they knew what they had with Salmon, viewing him as a player with a high ceiling.
As well as the coaching staff, the comparisons between Salmon and Saliba are clearly circulating among the youth player’s teammates. Josh Nichols commented on Salmon’s Instagram on Wednesday to say: “Young Willooo”
Salmon’s introduction against Brugge made him Arsenal’s fourth-youngest player ever to appear for the first team, only behind Ethan Nwaneri, Max Dowman, and Jack Porter.
OptaJoe report that only three players have ever played for an English club in the Champions League whilst aged 16 or younger, and Salmon is part of that trio. The other two are Dowman and Jack Wilshere.
So it’s not hard to see that Arsenal are already fast-tracking Salmon into more opportunities than most players his age tend to get. But it seems many of the next steps in the youngster’s career will be taken away from north London.