Arsenal signed Saliba from Saint-Etienne in the summer of 2019 for a transfer fee reported by Sky Sports to be worth £27 million.
The 19-year-old defender returned to the French club on a season-long loan deal for the 2019-20 campaign.
Arsenal legend Keown has admitted that he could not understand why the Gunners decided to send the youngster back on loan again last summer.
Keown said on talkSPORT: “There’s an awful lot of work to be done in there [defence]. There was the defender from Saint-Etienne William Saliba who they paid £27million for but was loaned back again.
“I could’t quite work that out because now I’m being told he’s world-class. Never mind if he’s world-class, if he was Premier League class it would have been good enough because that was an area of concern.”
Stats
According to WhoScored, Saliba made 11 starts and one substitute appearance in Ligue 1 for Saint-Etienne this season.
The teenager also played twice in the Europa League and thrice in the Coupe de France for the French club this campaign, according to WhoScored.
During the 2019-20 campaign, the defender made 13 starts and three substitute appearance in the league for Saint-Etienne, according to WhoScored.
Good addition to Arsenal team
Arsenal are not defensively great, and head coach Mikel Arteta’s side could do with a young and dynamic player at the back.
Saliba is still only 19 years of age and is a work in progress, but he would make the Gunners a better team at the back.
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