William Saliba has become a very important figure for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal following his senior debut in August 2022.
Even though the ice-cool defender was purchased under Unai Emery’s reign, he had to wait a few years to make his Arsenal debut and it has all been worth it for his supporters.
That was proven when William Saliba was absent through injury during the final few months of last season, as Mikel Arteta’s side crumbled in the Premier League title race, with the player himself stating that ‘Arsenal could have been champions’ if he stayed fit, as he told Telefoot.
Upon being told that, one-time title winner with Blackburn Rovers, Chris Sutton, was left shocked and stated that it’s perhaps ‘big-headed’ of the player, as he told 606 on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
Facts are facts, at the end of the day, Arsenal’s form and ability to pick up points went out of the window once William Saliba was on the sidelines.
They still scored the goals, it was the defence that just fell apart. Cite those three games at Anfield, the London Stadium and then the 3-3 draw against relegated Southampton.
Chris Sutton reacts to William Saliba’s comments
“He was very good Saliba, wasn’t he?!” said Sutton about the Frenchman’s performance against Manchester City.
On Saliba’s title comments: “Oh, come on! Saliba said that, did he? Did he?! Is that not a bit big-headed, that?”
If Saliba stays fit…
There are a few players in this Arsenal XI who need to stay fit from now until the end of the season if the team wants to win the title.
There is no doubt that Saliba is one of them. You can also include Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus to that list.
Fans can debate all day long if Arsenal have learnt from last season’s woes, but in truth, they can only answer those questions when those crunch months of the season arrive.
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