Ian Wright has praised Arsenal central defender William Saliba on PremierLeague.com for his performance against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Friday evening.
The Arsenal legend was impressed by what he saw from Saliba on his Premier League debut for the Gunners against Palace.
The France international centre-back started the London derby and played for the entire 90 minutes.
Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher felt that Saliba was the best player in the London derby, which Arsenal won against the Eagles.
Ian Wright on Arsenal centre-back William Saliba
Wright said about Saliba on PremierLeague.com: “Saliba is someone we always thought was going to be special. He has turned into a full French international after learning in Ligue 1. He is calm and composed and he has great pace. He’s slotted in and looks like he’s been playing there for years.”
Encouraging display
In our view, Arsenal central defender William Saliba was brilliant against Crystal Palace in the London derby.
The 21-year-old looked strong and composed at the back, did not take unnecessary risks, and was very good at reading the game.
The France international did not come under too much pressure in the first half, but when Palace stepped up their game after the break, Saliba was there at the back keeping the opposition attackers at bay.
It will be interesting to see if Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta keeps Saliba in the team when Takehiro Tomiyasu is back from injury and takes his place at right-back.
Would Arteta then pair Saliba with Gabriel or would he bring back Ben White into central defence and leave the Frenchman out?