William Saliba reveals what makes him angry at Arsenal as Thierry Henry admission made

William Saliba has committed his future to Arsenal, signing a new five-year contract and dismissing interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid. The French defender expressed his determination to win major silverware with the Gunners, stating he has unfinished business at the Emirates Stadium.

When questioned about his decision to stay at Arsenal despite interest from Los Blancos - similar to Trent Alexander-Arnold's move from Liverpool to the Bernabeu - Saliba responded assertively: "He won some titles with Liverpool. Me? I didn't win anything here except the Community Shield. I've done nothing with this club to think about leaving and I want to stay here and win a lot of trophies."

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was also thrilled with Saliba's decision to extend his stay at the club. Speaking about his towering centre-back, the delighted Spaniard said: "It's big news, I'm very happy. Congratulations to Willy, he fully deserves this new contract, his contribution to the club and to the team has been phenomenal the last few years and I'm very happy to keep the spine of the team with us."

Saliba has confirmed that he has fully recovered from the ankle injury he sustained last month at Anfield, which had disrupted his start to the new season. The formidable French defender has expressed his eagerness to win trophies so he can finally enjoy his summer holidays.

Ahead of Wednesday's Champions League group phase match against Olympiacos, Saliba made it clear that Arsenal's long wait for silverware must come to an end, especially after he committed his long-term future to the Gunners, reports the Mirror.

When asked if there was enough belief within the Arsenal dressing room to become winners, Saliba responded: "Yes, of course. I've been here for three years and every time at the end of the season when you finish second, you're a bit angry. You want to go on holiday and celebrate with your friends the trophies you won with your club. When you finish second and you go on holiday, it's not so good."

The disappointment of missing out on the Premier League title for the past three seasons isn't the only frustration Saliba has faced since joining Arsenal from Saint-Etienne in 2019. Saliba confessed that he was upset to be loaned out to Nice in January 2021 - the second of three respective loan spells in his homeland - before his significant breakthrough campaign in 2022.

The central defender admitted to having doubts about his future at the club, stating: "I arrived in 2020 and didn't play for six months, I then went on loan and of course, sometimes you have doubts. I thought 'maybe I'll never play for this club' but in the end, I told myself that I couldn't leave without playing.

"I was training and playing with the U21s and at the end of December, the club told me that it was better for me to go on loan rather than stay here and not play. I was angry because I needed to play but I didn't give up, I went on loan, played games, came back here and started almost every game. I'm so proud of myself, it proves you should never give up."

Saliba's love for Arsenal stems from his admiration for Gunners legend and childhood hero Thierry Henry. The iconic striker's name adorned the back of the centre-back's first-ever football shirt.

Now, he aims to replicate the success of his fellow countryman at the Emirates, saying: "With my first Arsenal shirt of Arsenal, he was on the back. For me, he was like a class player to watch, obviously he's French so when you're a French player and you play in a big club like Arsenal, I was following the team and him. I remember some clips, I was a bit young, so I don't have a lot of memories but I have this final against Barcelona when they almost won the Champions League in 2006."

His dedication to the club is unwavering, which is why he had no interest in entertaining offers from Real Madrid or any other potential suitors. "To be honest, I was not really focused on the clubs from the outside, I was just focused on here," Saliba stated.

"I knew that I wanted to stay here for more years, so I was not really focused on the other clubs. So I'm happy to be here and to sign a new deal."

On the other hand, Arteta acknowledges the pressure he's under to perform this season, stating: "Well I'm aware the moment I step in this chair that what I want with this club is to win major trophies, nobody else has to put that line into us, that's the ambition the first day and the excuses have never been part of my life."

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