express "regret [over] the decision" before a January six-month loan move to France. Loan to Nice On 4 January 2021, Saliba joined Ligue 1 club Nice on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. He returned to France after reported plans for a loan to an unnamed EFL Championship club were scrapped. On 6 January 2021, he made his debut in a 2–0 loss against Brest in Ligue 1. Saliba was awarded Nice's Player of the Month award for his performances throughout January. Loan to Marseille Saliba again left Arsenal for a loan in the Ligue 1 in July 2021, joining Marseille for the 2021–22 season. With fellow Arsenal loanee Matteo Guendouzi, he made his competitive debut for the club when he started in a 3−2 away win against Montpellier on 8 August 2021. He would make a total of 52 appearances and help the club reach the semi-finals of the inaugural Europa Conference League season, whilst also securing Champions League football for the club's following season. Saliba was named as Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year and was awarded a position in the Team of the Year. Despite interest from Marseille and other European clubs for another season away from Arsenal, Saliba announced his desire to return to Arsenal when speaking with French football programme Téléfoot. Return to Arsenal Ahead of the 2022–23 season, Saliba was given the number 12 shirt. He made his Arsenal and Premier League debut on 5 August 2022 in an opening day fixture away to Crystal Palace. Arsenal won the game 2−0 with Saliba's performance being described by the BBC as "unruffled and virtually faultless". He scored his first goal for the club two weeks later in a win over AFC Bournemouth, with a curled shot from the edge of the box. The strike was voted as the club's Goal of the Month for August. International career On 21 March 2022, Saliba received a call-up to France's senior squad for the first time as an injury replacement to Benjamin Pavard to play in friendlies against the Ivory Coast and South Africa. In November 2022, Saliba was called up to the 26-man France squad that would compete in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Personal life Saliba was born in Bondy, Seine-Saint-Denis. His father was Lebanese and his mother was Cameroonian. Career statistics Club International Honours Saint-Étienne Coupe de France runner-up: 2019–20