William Saliba is asked to only focus on his performance at Marseille

DBasia.news – Former Arsenal right-back Lauren has urged William Saliba to concentrate on his performances at Marseille and to not worry about what is happening at his parent club this season.

Saliba, who was on loan at fellow Ligue 1 team Nice and Saint-Etienne in the previous two seasons, impressed earlier this season at Marseille under Jorge Sampaoli.

Many Arsenal supporters were disappointed when the 20-year-old player, who is yet to make his first-team debut, was loaned out again in the summer.

Mikel Arteta now has Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Rob Holding and Pablo Mari at the heart of the defence, and it remains unclear whether Saliba will be given a first-team opportunity next season.

But Lauren, who made a total of 241 caps for the Gunners, believes the French defender needs to focus on his performances at Marseille and not be drawn into speculation surrounding his future.

“I don’t know what Arteta should and shouldn’t do, but what I do know is that Saliba has to do what he has done so far,” Lauren told Bonus Finder.

“Be at your best at Marseille and then you’ll get the chance to go back to Arsenal or maybe another club.

“The fact that he’s done well so far shows that he has a chance once he’s back in the team.”

Arsenal have conceded nine goals in their opening five Premier League games – only three clubs have conceded more – but Lauren believes the defensive options in Arteta’s side are good enough.

“In this case, I believe the team is balanced in that area with White, Gabriel and Holding in that position,” he added. “That position is protected at the moment, and Ben White is more technical with the ball and he can play under pressure.

“He has good passing quality for centre-backs, and then Gabriel is more aggressive in his game, so it’s a good balance. I think the balance at the moment is positive and we will see them develop together in the next games.”