William Saliba has been candid about the uncertainty that marked his early years at Arsenal and how those experiences shaped the player he is today. Arriving as a 19-year-old, Saliba did not immediately break into Mikel Arteta’s plans and spent time with the U23s before a sequence of loans that took him back to France.

“It was a bit hard because I arrived from France, then went back on loan, then six months after I came back here, I went back to France again,” Saliba recalled in an interview with Arsenal’s official website.

“Six months there, then I changed club, then I came back here. So it was difficult. I was living in a hotel when I came here at first, then I found a house but went back to France, so when I came back after that I wanted to settle down quickly.”

Those repeated moves left Saliba questioning his future at the club. “I had some doubts because when you go on loan two or three times, you think maybe it’s not here that I will play,” he candidly admitted. “But it’s like this, in football you have some doubts sometimes, but you have to make sure you forget your doubts and you move forward, and that’s what I did.

“So I went on loan, I kept going to improve. Then I came back here stronger. When I came back I played almost every game. When you have a new career, you have to adapt because you will have some moments where things won’t go how you want. So you have to adapt and of course you have to be strong mentally to be prepared for anything.”

Arteta handed him a starting role at the beginning of the 2022–23 season and Saliba kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 win at Crystal Palace. Since his Premier League debut, made 1,107 days after signing for Arsenal, his rise has been marked by consistent selection and recognition; he won Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year during his loan period and is widely considered one of the best in his position.

Talk of outside interest surfaced as his initial contract neared its end, but Saliba committed his future to the club with a long-term extension in September. “Everything was complete for me,” Saliba shrugged. “We have a good team, we have a good coach, we have good staff. And I’m sure that the future here will be very good, so there was no hesitation to extend my contract with Arsenal.

Manchester United have opened a monitoring file on United States international Tyler Adams as they explore cost-effective midfield reinforcements ahead of the January window. Fabrizio Romano reports Adams has emerged as a candidate to potentially succeed Casemiro, with the 20-time English champions viewing the Bournemouth midfielder as a more realistic, cheaper option than other targets.

Sources suggest Adams could carry a manageable £40 million ($53.5 million) price tag, but the fee may prove secondary. The Cherries reportedly “insist” on keeping the USMNT midfielder and consider him a very “important” player. With the likelihood of Antoine Semenyo leaving Bournemouth, the club would be vulnerable if they also lost Adams.

Manchester United continue to prioritise Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton at the top of their midfield wishlist, and the club is expected to allow wantaway midfielder Kobbie Mainoo to leave this winter. Against that backdrop, Adams represents a cheaper alternative who can operate as the engine in front of the back line.

Ruben Amorim and Manchester United will get a close look at Adams when Bournemouth visit Old Trafford on Monday evening. The match is also notable for Adams personally: he has fond early memories of the stadium and has spoken openly about its influence on his ambitions.

“It’s just a special occasion,” Adams said on the Men in Blazers podcast . “This is what you grow up watching, whether you’re a fan or not. A fan of Manchester United walking into Old Trafford will change your perspective on everything.

“I played against Manchester United at Old Trafford during COVID[-19] with RB Leipzig. That was the first time I walked into Old Trafford and I was like, my dream is really to play in the Premier League because this is what it’s about right here.

“… Now being able to go back and play there multiple times and have good results, especially makes it a little bit better. So yeah, I always get excited to play against United.”

Adams, who won November’s Premier League Goal of the Month for his 47-yard strike against Sunderland, will be aiming for a commanding display to reinforce his standing as a realistic January target.

Pep Guardiola has signalled that Manchester City are trending in the right direction and that their rivals should take notice. He suggested the group are showing characteristics from the clubs’ past title-winning campaigns and that this time of year often sparks one of City’s trademark unbeaten runs.

Arsenal have been reeled in by City in two of the past three seasons, and Guardiola is clearly optimistic about repeating that influence. “I have the feeling that we are getting better,” Guardiola smiled after Saturday’s win. “You believe that the past was always perfect when you look back at all the titles and the 100 points. But for the amount of things we achieved, we had a lot of games like today and the resilience was part of that.”

City began the season with a 4–0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, but then lost their next two matches. After the struggles of the 2024–25 season, when Guardiola’s side finished a distant third behind Arsenal and champions Liverpool, many had doubted the club’s prospects. “Still, we are not top, but we are learning and after what happened we will be closer in the future,” Guardiola warned.

On the field, Erling Haaland remains central to City’s surge. He scored twice against Palace, taking his league tally to 17 after 16 matches. Phil Foden has also regained form, equalling his top-flight goal tally from last term with a seventh Premier League strike, a drive from outside the box against Palace.

Guardiola addressed Foden’s drop last season and placed it in a wider context. “The problem last season was not Phil; it was for everyone, me included,” he explained. On expectations for the attacker, he was unequivocal: “Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely [there is more to come from him],” the Catalan coach promised.

Guardiola added that while Foden’s natural quality is already exceptional, there is still room in areas such as timing and tempo. “He will not improve his incredible quality, because he’s top, at the top. But understanding the game, the way you have certain moments, the way you have to play, and the way you have to accelerate, or sometimes decelerate the game.

“Just the timing, the tempo he will give it, of course, everyone has to improve, everyone.”