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Arsenal 'to loan out William Saliba to Brentford' with Mikel Arteta keen for £27m defender to work on his defending from set pieces before forcing his way into the first team

Arsenal are set to loan out centre-back William Saliba to Championship side Brentford, according to reports.

The Gunners signed the 19-year-old defender from Saint-Etienne for £27m last summer, with the agreement stating he would remain at the Ligue 1 side for another season.

However, injuries curtailed his progress before the French league was cancelled last season due to the coronavirus pandemic, but fans of the north London club were nevertheless excited at the possibility of seeing him in the Gunners back-line this season.

Arsenal are set to loan out centre-back William Saliba to Championship side Brentford
Saliba spent last season on loan at the French side as part of the u00a327m move that was agreed

But according to ESPN, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta believes he needs to develop further before he can hope to break into the first team at Emirates Stadium.