William Saliba admits feeling ‘like a robber’ after leaving Saint-Etienne ahead of Cup final

William Saliba has been left feeling ‘like a robber’ after leaving his Saint-Etienne team-mates to return to Arsenal ahead of their French Cup final.

The 19-year-old defender was signed by the Gunners for £27million last summer but immediately loaned back to Saint-Etienne for the season.

Their Ligue 1 campaign was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic but the final against Paris Saint-Germain was rearranged for Friday night.

William Saliba will watch Friday night’s French Cup final from the stands after Saint-Etienne and Arsenal failed to reach agreement on an extension of his loan to cover the match

The Gunners bought the defender for £27m last summer but loaned him back to Saint-Etienne 

Saint-Etienne were then left furious after being unable to reach an agreement with Arsenal over extending the loan so Saliba could play in the match after the Gunners said initially it wouldn’t be a problem.

It has left Saliba only able to watch from the stands at the Stade de France and he expressed his disappointment in an interview with L’Equipe.

‘I couldn’t miss this. As I am not able to play, I want to at least feel this final as much as possible, by supporting my team in the stadium,’ he said.

‘In front of the TV, it would not be the same. It was important for me to be there, hoping to see Les Verts win.

‘It will also allow me to say goodbye to my team-mates properly. Because I felt like I was a robber.’

Saliba admitted he felt ‘like a robber’ after leaving his team-mates earlier than expected

It came after Saint-Etienne and Arsenal were involved in a public war of words over the Saliba decision at the beginning of the month.

Arsenal had been willing to extend Saliba’s loan to cover the Cup final but Saint-Etienne were left fuming at their demands.

The French club issued a statement slamming Arsenal’s ‘unacceptable sports and financial conditions.’

However, Sportsmail reported that the loan extension deal collapsed because Saint-Etienne refused to follow Arsenal’s medical demands.

Saliba has suffered from a foot injury since the turn of the year, a problem that kept him out of a large chunk of Saint-Etienne’s matches before the French season was stopped.

The 19-year-old cost £27m and will now head back to north London to train with Arsenal

As a result, the Gunners had devised a strict programme for him to follow and wanted Saint-Etienne to adhere to this regime.

When Arsenal reiterated this during talks, Saint-Etienne refused the terms meaning the cost of extending the deal was not formally discussed.

In a statement in response to Saint-Etienne, Arsenal said: ‘Our aim has been to protect the welfare of William Saliba as well as the interests of Arsenal Football Club, while honouring the terms of the loan.

‘Despite the loan ending on June 30, we were willing to find a way for William to play in the [French] cup final on July 24, despite having no contractual obligation to do so.

‘As William is returning from injury, we asked Saint-Etienne follow a clear training plan with William in close collaboration with us, to ensure he is fully fit for the start of next season.

Saliba saw his season disrupted by an injury and Arsenal devised a training plan for him

‘To our surprise, we were unable to reach agreement to this plan which was proposed by our medical experts, and we are simply not prepared to risk the welfare of an Arsenal player.’

Despite the disagreements, Saliba is looking forward to getting started at the Emirates Stadium, telling L’Equipe: ‘I fell for Arsenal from the start. A number of French players have been there.

‘Arsenal has not been at the top of its game for the last three, four years. But, like Saint-Etienne, its badge, its history and its fans made me want it.

‘I have a crush on Arsenal. What it gives off speaks to me. I had no hesitation, I am discovering another world.’