Despite all the Hale End academy alumni in the current squad, it sometimes seems like the biggest Arsenal fan among these players is from the north-eastern suburbs of Paris.William Saliba exudes calm on the ball and in defence, but tends to be the one player whose emotions get the better of him when a team-mate scores. He was front and centre in Arsenal’s Premier League title celebrations earlier in the week, but 36 hours later, his composure was back — along with a dash of desire that is evident whenever the France international talks to the media.“I am not full,” he told reporters. “We have started with the Premier League, it is my first one, so I am happy, but I want more. There is a big chance next week in the Champions League, so we have to give everything.”Being that open about his ambitions is nothing new for Saliba. Real Madrid held interest in him for years, but after committing his future to Arsenal with a new contract in September, the 25-year-old spoke of a feeling that he was yet to leave a mark in north London. He had been a staple of manager Mikel Arteta’s side for four years, but the lack of a Premier League title was eating at him.After years of seeing their best players poached by rival clubs, Saliba’s determination to stay and win with Arsenal was a sign of how times have changed.As he grew up as an Arsenal supporter in France, Saliba will be more than aware of that change for the club, but he has been on quite a ride himself.The defender was initially signed at age 18 from Saint-Etienne in summer 2019, when Unai Emery was in charge. He returned to Saint-Etienne on loan for that first season. When he got back to north London in 2020, there was a new man at the helm, and the club were in disarray. Saliba took time to convince Arteta — he was sent back to Ligue 1 on further loans to Nice and Marseille — before the Spaniard saw something click between the Frenchman and centre-back partner Gabriel in the pre-season of 2022.Saliba has formed an excellent partnership with Gabriel (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)“It has been a long journey, up and down, but now I am so happy,” Saliba said of that time. “I was not always happy when I was on loan and not playing, but it is part of the process. I kept working hard, and I believed I could make it, and for four years I have started for Arsenal, and I finished the season with a Premier League (title), and we have something even bigger next week.”That partnership with Gabriel officially began at the stadium where Arsenal will lift the Premier League trophy this weekend: Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park.