After pipping north London rivals Tottenham to his signature last summer, Arsenal's William Saliba has been away from the spotlight this campaign.

The stipulation of the deal meant that the Frenchman would remain on a season-long loan at St Etienne, and it's perhaps been a blessing in disguise for the centre-back. The Gunners have gone through some serious turmoil this campaign, not least the sacking of Unai Emery before the end of 2019.

Arsenal currently find themselves in ninth place in the Premier League, and still seven points off the top four. By not being with the Gunners this year, Saliba has avoided all the drama and under-achievement that has engulfed the club.

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But in essence, all that has done has heightened the expectations of Arsenal fans for next season. After all, just look at the way they reacted after his performance against Bordeaux earlier in the campaign.

With the Gunners having conceded 36 goals in just 27 top-flight games (only Burnley and Chelsea have let in more from the top ten), Mikel Arteta is no doubt desperately trying to search for a remedy to sort out his ailing back-line. And that is where the danger of Saliba's return comes in.

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The 6 foot 4 powerhouse will only turn 19 next month, and as such, is still very much in the formative years of his footballing career. The Gunners simply cannot turn to the teenager as an immediate answer to their defence, and must allow him to make the kind of mistakes a young player will inevitably make when they make the step-up to a top-level team.

Saliba has almost turned into a world-beater by simply not being at the club, and doing his own thing at St Etienne. A case of people getting whipped up into a frenzy, and becoming far too hyped up after one or two performances, or a YouTube compilation.

And not to mention the fact that the £22.5m-rated starlet has also had his fair share of injuries this season, which in itself will be a concern for Arteta. Pinning his side's defensive improvements and hopes on a teenager who is still growing, would be a major trap for the Gunners boss to fall into.

Meanwhile, this Arsenal starlet's form has raised big questions over an Unai Emery signing.