Alan Smith has labelled Arsenal’s injured star, William Saliba, as a ‘class-act’ and a ‘Rolls-Royce’ centre-half ahead of his possible return to action.
The Arsenal legend added that it will be ‘big’ for Mikel Arteta when William Saliba is back, especially with that mouthwatering fixture against Premier League title rivals, Manchester City, around the corner.
Mikel Arteta’s side hold a six-point lead over the current champions of England, who have played a game less, and they will meet on April 26 at the Etihad.
Many feel that will decide which way the title will go, as Arsenal are currently without their star centre-back, who has been injured since before the international break.
Rob Holding has filled in alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, but as the Englishman proved when he gave away a penalty during his side’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool, the quicker Saliba gets back, the better.
One thing is for sure, the 22-year-old has an admirer in Alan Smith, who laid down the plaudits for the ball-carrying defender, as he told Sky Sports News (11/04/23).
“It is big,” said Smith. “He gives them composure, pace, that relationship with Gabriel and the rest of the defenders.
“Rob Holding has stood in well. Obviously, he gave away that penalty, but apart from that, he has done well.
“But Saliba is a class act. He’s a quality centre-half. A Rolls-Royce of a player. He’s only young and will only get better.
“So, you want your key players available in these vital games, and hopefully, he will be back pretty soon.”
SALIBA’S RISE
It hasn’t been an easy road for Saliba because, even though he signed for the club in 2019, he only donned the first-team colours on the opening game of this current campaign.
At the time, Unai Emery was in charge, before Arteta walked through the doors and into a mess.
Even though Arsenal struggled big time for a number of seasons, especially in defence, Arteta opted against using Saliba, and instead, sent him on two loans spells, but now those calls have worked wonders on the player and the club.
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