Arsenal defender William Saliba insists he has no regrets leaving Saint Etienne last year.
Saliba is back in France playing on-loan with Nice and has expressed frustration with the way he was treated by Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.
However, he maintains leaving ASSE was the right call.
"Did I leave ASSE too early? No, I don't think I left too early. When you feel ready, you have to go. It's things that happen, I have confidence in myself," he told Telefoot via Le 10 Sport.
After a difficult first six months in England, where he failed to break into Arteta's first team at Arsenal, Saliba and Gunners management agreed for him to return to France on-loan for the remainder of the season.
Saint Etienne coach Claude Puel had been eager to bring Saliba back to the club last month, but after holding talks with Les Verts, the young centre-half surprised many - particularly his old club - by choosing to sign for Nice instead.
Asked why he chose not to return to ASSE last month, Saliba added: "For me, the best choice was to join OGC Nice. There is a good project, a good team, good ambitions. It feels good to play, to link matches. This is how you progress."
Since his return to Ligue 1, Saliba has become a first-choice for OGCN, playing five matches. His loan will expire in June.
- updated February 2
