William Saliba has made no secret of his determination to finally lift silverware with Arsenal, admitting that four consecutive seasons of finishing as runners-up have left him hungry for a breakthrough as the club approaches the most consequential weeks of their campaign.
The French centre-back has been part of an Arsenal side that has come agonisingly close to ending the club’s Premier League title drought — a wait that now stretches back to 2004. Speaking ahead of a critical run of fixtures, Saliba underscored both the personal and collective stakes involved. “We haven’t won the Premier League since 2004. It’s been a while. It means a lot for us and for me personally,” he said. “I’ve been here for four years and I’ve always finished second. If we change that this season, it will be a massive success for us and for me. I’m sure we will do that.”
Arsenal remain in contention for both the Premier League and the Champions League, and Saliba stressed that composure alongside maximum commitment will be essential in the weeks ahead. “I think we need to be calm. We need to die on the pitch as well, because it’s now. Now we have to go, and we need everyone: the supporters, the team, the staff, everyone, because we have to do it now. After that, it’s too late,” the defender said.
Despite a disappointing result in their most recent league outing, Saliba insisted the title race is far from over and called on the squad to respond immediately. “Everything is decided now. If you want to win the league, you have to fight until the end. We are ready for that. Last game we wanted to win, and we didn’t. But it’s not finished. Now we know what we have coming, and we know what we have to do if we want to win the league. We have to start on Saturday.”
Saliba joined Arsenal on a permanent basis following a series of loan spells in France and has developed into one of the most highly regarded central defenders in European football. His consistency alongside Gabriel Magalhães at the heart of Mikel Arteta’s backline has been central to the club’s resurgence as a Premier League title contender in recent seasons.
Arsenal’s last top-flight title came during the Invincibles season of 2003-04 under Arsène Wenger. Since then, the club has endured prolonged periods outside the upper echelons of English football, making the current era under Arteta — which has seen consistent top-two finishes — a marked improvement, albeit one that has yet to produce a championship.
With the season entering its final stretch and matches in both domestic and European competition still to be decided, the pressure and opportunity are equally significant for Arteta’s squad. For Saliba, converting Arsenal’s sustained periods of strong form into tangible silverware represents the defining objective of his time at the club.
