Ian Wright has claimed that ‘a lot of people are surprised’ by William Saliba’s rise at Arsenal and the ‘massive impact’ he has had on the club, as he told Premier League Productions (09/10/22 at 4:20 pm).
The Arsenal legend was making reference to the 21-year-old being loaned out by the club on several occasions, including to Marseille last season and whether it was going to work out for the player.
Mikel Arteta wasn’t even in the dugout when the current Premier League leaders paid Saint-Etienne £27 million (Sky Sports) for the highly-rated centre-back.
Given that Saliba joined as a teenager, then it was always going to be a slow process for the player into the first-team, but not so slow that he would only make his debut for the club in August 2022.
But that patience and build-up have helped the now-France international develop into the top player he is proving to be today.
Saliba is having such an impact that the likes of Wright are even comparing the defender to Liverpool’s ice-cool centre-back, Virgil Van Dijk.
“Massive impact,” said Wright. “He’s been out for a couple of years on-loan, the last one at Marseille.
“You can see Arsenal are now able to have him and Gabriel at the back, because of the space, in respect of stepping in (high up) and winning the ball. He’s not afraid to go all the way in and win the ball. His passing skills, play a one-two, then go.
“He’s probably the closest I have seen to Virgil (van Dijk) when he first got there. Very composed. 21. No rush. He’s going to take his time.
“I think a lot of people are surprised, simply because of his age and because he has been out on-loan for so long. Why would it take so long for him to get into the team? Well, it’s because they know how good he is. He has got everything.”
BEST IN THE LEAGUE
Whilst Manchester City are the champions, as of today, Arsenal could rightfully argue that they are the best in the league, as the table suggests.
Now, no prizes are handed out in October, that’s why they have to still be putting up these performances in March.
If they are able to do that, then there is no reason why they shouldn’t just secure Champions League football, but do it with ease.
And even if there are a few slip-ups, they should enjoy this current situation because it’s been a long time since there was this type of togetherness at the Emirates.
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