<p>He's not yet 20 and been farmed out on loan, but William Saliba has no hesitation in declaring himself the new defensive 'boss' at Ligue 1 side Nice.</p>.<p>Saliba has been sent back to France by Arsenal after failing to make a first-team appearance since the Gunners paid Saint-Etienne 30 million euros ($36.6 million) for him in July 2019.</p>.<p>Not that his confidence has been bruised by his failure to make an impression in London.</p>.<p>"Even though I'm young, I come as the boss. I come to lead the defence," he said on Friday.</p>.<p>The former France Under-20 international, who played for Saint-Etienne on loan last season, was drafted in at Nice when central defender and skipper Dante suffered a serious knee injury.</p>.<p>He made his debut in the midweek 2-0 loss at Brest but his performance was widely praised.</p>.<p>Coach Adrian Ursea believes Saliba will be key as the team, currently in 13th place in the table, look to rebuild their season.</p>.<p>"When you have a young player of his age who arrives at a new club and who exudes this personality in the middle of defence, despite only knowing the guys for one day, I find that very encouraging for the future," said the Romanian.</p>.<p>"He also gives off a calm air that the team needs. I'm not interested in age. The only question about a rookie is whether he's a good player or not.</p>.<p>"William will bring us even more along the way in training and matches."</p>.<p>Saliba insists he does not feel the pressure of having to replace Dante who at 37 is almost twice his age and a Brazilian international.</p>.<p>"I'm replacing a great name but I don't put more pressure on myself. I am a young player but I can bring something here to the defence," he said.</p>.<p>"Against Brest, we made two mistakes that we must correct. We will have to communicate more. We are in a bad patch, as all clubs know. We are going to recover."</p>.<p>Saliba insists his time at the Emirates Stadium has not scarred him despite his lack of playing time in the first team.</p>.<p>"I arrived in London after six months without training due to lockdown just as Arsenal were finishing last season's championship.</p>.<p>"On resumption, I lacked rhythm. I would have liked to have had my chance but that's football," he said.</p>
<p>He's not yet 20 and been farmed out on loan, but William Saliba has no hesitation in declaring himself the new defensive 'boss' at Ligue 1 side Nice.</p>.<p>Saliba has been sent back to France by Arsenal after failing to make a first-team appearance since the Gunners paid Saint-Etienne 30 million euros ($36.6 million) for him in July 2019.</p>.<p>Not that his confidence has been bruised by his failure to make an impression in London.</p>.<p>"Even though I'm young, I come as the boss. I come to lead the defence," he said on Friday.</p>.<p>The former France Under-20 international, who played for Saint-Etienne on loan last season, was drafted in at Nice when central defender and skipper Dante suffered a serious knee injury.</p>.<p>He made his debut in the midweek 2-0 loss at Brest but his performance was widely praised.</p>.<p>Coach Adrian Ursea believes Saliba will be key as the team, currently in 13th place in the table, look to rebuild their season.</p>.<p>"When you have a young player of his age who arrives at a new club and who exudes this personality in the middle of defence, despite only knowing the guys for one day, I find that very encouraging for the future," said the Romanian.</p>.<p>"He also gives off a calm air that the team needs. I'm not interested in age. The only question about a rookie is whether he's a good player or not.</p>.<p>"William will bring us even more along the way in training and matches."</p>.<p>Saliba insists he does not feel the pressure of having to replace Dante who at 37 is almost twice his age and a Brazilian international.</p>.<p>"I'm replacing a great name but I don't put more pressure on myself. I am a young player but I can bring something here to the defence," he said.</p>.<p>"Against Brest, we made two mistakes that we must correct. We will have to communicate more. We are in a bad patch, as all clubs know. We are going to recover."</p>.<p>Saliba insists his time at the Emirates Stadium has not scarred him despite his lack of playing time in the first team.</p>.<p>"I arrived in London after six months without training due to lockdown just as Arsenal were finishing last season's championship.</p>.<p>"On resumption, I lacked rhythm. I would have liked to have had my chance but that's football," he said.</p>