Saint-Etienne slams Arsenal after Club declined Saliba request to play French Cup Final

Saint-Etienne has released statement slamming Arsenal for their U-turn over on-loan defender William Saliba .

It's been gathered that Saliba will be unable to play in the French Cup final.

Arsenal bought the 19-year-old centre back from Saint-Etienne last summer before loaning him back for the season, and he is set to join back up with Mikel Arteta's side in the coming weeks. 

     

Saint-Etienne still have one final match against PSG in the French Cup final - a game which would have been Saliba's last after four years at the club.

In a statement on their website, titled 'William Saliba deprived of the final by Arsenal', Saint-Etienne explained their side of the story.   

'AS Saint-Etienne was pleased to learn yesterday (Tuesday) that Mikel Arteta, Arsenal coach, was ready to leave William Saliba at the disposal of the club until the final of the Coupe de France, on July 24,' it explains.

'William Saliba had been training for several days with Claude Puel's group and was obviously very enthusiastic about the idea of ​​finishing his course in Green with such a match. 

Alas, ASSE, which simply wanted the extension of the initial loan until July 24, could not find an agreement in the evening with Arsenal to allow the defender to properly prepare and play this meeting, the English club imposing absolutely unacceptable sports and financial conditions.'

The Frenchman cost Arsenal £27million last summer, and he played 15 times on loan at Saint-Etienne this season before coronavirus curtailed the campaign.