Mikel Arteta has already shown William Saliba Arsenal transfer feelings amid Real Madrid reality

There was a stage when William Saliba looked like he may never make a senior appearance for Arsenal. Having signed in the summer of 2019 - when Unai Emery was in charge - it was over three years later before he made a first appearance for the club.

Given that he cost over £25million, the genuine prospect of seeing him move on before playing for Arsenal would have been a tough one to stomach. Saliba arrived as one of the top young players in France and went on to cement himself as a star of the future.

Those equivalent to him in their status from Ligue 1 are Raphael Varane, Wesley Fofana, and now Leny Yoro. For one reason of the other, neither Varane or Fofana have recently been able to show their quality. Yoro is backed to do so at Manchester United. In the meantime Saliba has forged a pathway for himself.

Heading on loans to Saint-Etienne - where he joined Arsenal from - Nice, then finally Marseille, the Frenchman established himself as being ready to make the step straight up to a Premier League title challenger. In a way, his emergence during the 2022/23 season mirrored that of Arsenal.

Saliba showed that he was slick on the ball but dominant. Described more often than not as a Rolls-Royce, he went from being a talent to being a serious force immediately. Arsenal shot to the top of the table with Saliba and in no small part due to him.

As Mikel Arteta has moved towards pragmatism, defence first, and solidifying the defence, Saliba has grown in stature as well. Already a big unit but with immense pace, he is now one of the toughest to beat in the air or one-on-one. His skill on the ball, punching passes through the Declan Rice as well as running forward to start attacks himself, are still there even if less utilised.

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He remains the picture of the Arsenal backline and is leadership material. He really is everything that this Arsenal team around him represents. When he was missing late on in Arteta's first true charge at the top, Arsenal dropped off, unable to replace him. It's little surprise that his continued fitness last term saw a stronger finish and run in Europe.

What this is to say, is that Saliba goes hand-in-hand with Arsenal. He is everything Arteta needs him to be on the pitch. He penned a new deal over 12 months ago in the wave of contracts for the club's most important players, and is now tied down until 2027.

If he stays until then, it will be eight years since he made the transfer to Arsenal, even if it's only five from his debut. The story is still in its early stages, so to speak.

Suggestions that Real Madrid are planning to make him one of their next big signings are entirely understandable. It is unlikely to matter though.

Carlo Ancelotti may well have David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, and Eder Militao, but Saliba does - it has to be said - carry himself like a Madrid player. He has that sort of aura and capability. The notion that a transfer is something for Arsenal to be worried about is nonsensical though.

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Arteta has prioritised Saliba at each stage of his career. Even when there was a large chance that he was a better option - despite being a teenager - than some of those Arteta had been selecting, a developmental loan was sought.

Perhaps, even as a defensive titan, Saliba's own progress may have been damaged in a team featuring David Luiz, Skhodran Mustafi, and Cedric Soares regularly. The times of those players making up the Arsenal XI are now long gone and Saliba has been able to mould a younger group with his own presence.

Arteta could have done with someone of Saliba's ilk during those periods for sure. Instead, the decision to send him out to go head and shoulders above his competition was made. It is the sort of long-term thinking that has left Arsenal in such a strong position.

Saliba will know and feel just how much of a part his manager has played in the success so far. That cannot be underrated, even with the lure of Madrid.