I snubbed Newcastle for ‘scary’ move and it led me to winning Premier League with Arsenal

William Saliba has revealed he turned down the chance to join Newcastle United

Arsenal defender William Saliba has revealed he almost joined Newcastle United before going on to become one of the leading defenders in the Premier League.

Saliba played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s Premier League title win last season, as well as helping the Gunners reach the final of the Champions League where they were beaten on penalties by PSG.

Since returning to Arsenal ahead of the 2022/23 season, Saliba has been an ever-present in the PFA Team of the Season but the France international spent his first three seasons at the club on loan elsewhere.

Having joined Arsenal in 2019, he spent time on loan with St Etienne and Nice before the Gunners were keen for Saliba to get some experience of English football ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

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And it was then that Newcastle were seen as a possible loan destination for Saliba, as well as Crystal Palace, but he opted to join Marseille on a season-long loan deal instead.

“Arsenal wanted me to go to Newcastle United or Crystal Palace, but I didn’t want to [do that],” Saliba told L’Equipe.

“I remember that summer, it was either Lille or Marseille. I was on the verge of joining Lille but there was a financial problem. Marseille is a big club, but it is scary. It was the season where it was a bit crazy, where the supporters had gone to the training ground].

“But, with my agent, we said: ‘Marseille, if you go there and have a good season, it is the team in France and things can move quickly. [manager] Jorge Sampaoli really wanted me.

“I went to Marseille and things moved so quickly. I played almost all of the matches. My value rose again. I started having fun again. By March, I was playing my first matches for France. It was an incredible year.

“I honestly loved Marseille: the supporters, the club, my teammates… football is like that. You build again from the bottom; it’s not a problem. Buckle up. If you do things well, you’ll get back to the top.”

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