Mikel Arteta has intimated that he might unleash William Saliba in Arsenal’s clash with Liverpool on Saturday.
The Gunners take on the Premier League champions at Wembley tomorrow in a Community Shield game.
And Arsenal, who won the FA Cup by beating Chelsea earlier this month, finally have their £27 million centre-back available.
Saliba, who stands at 6’5, joined the North Londoners last summer before being loaned straight back to Saint-Etienne.
The 19-year-old is an exciting prospect and his Spanish coach has hinted via Football London that he’s ‘ready’ when asked if he could face the Reds.
He said: “He’s training really hard. You can tell he looks ready. He will need to adapt but certainly he has the right qualities and attitude for this club.”
If Arteta starts him, it’ll be intriguing to see how he gets on.
On the one hand, you could forgive the Arsenal boss for fearing for him a little because, after all, he’ll be up against the finest team in the Premier League without having played a single game in England – and he’s only 19.
With that in mind, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Arteta starts him on the bench because whether he impresses or struggles, the aftermath might not be the best thing for his development.
If he has a shocker then his confidence is ruined in the short term. If he bullies somebody like Sadio Mane or Mo Salah then the hype is immediately unsustainable and Twitter will be awash with suggestions that he’s a ‘fraud’ if Aleksandar Mitrovic betters him in the Premier League opener against Fulham on September 12.
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