Kylian Mbappe is so impressed with ‘important’ Arsenal player, he says he is one of the best in the Premier League

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French forward Kylian Mbappe has hailed the impact made by William Saliba for Arsenal over the past two seasons.

The pair have been training together for the European Championship with France surely considered one of the favourites for the tournament in Germany.

Kylian Mbappe, who recently completed his protracted transfer to Real Madrid, certainly looks relaxed ahead of the tournament and could be a shoo-in to win the golden boot.

As for William Saliba, the Arsenal defender has come off the back of another stellar season for the Gunners and he has firmly established himself as one of the best defenders in the country.

Mbappe on ‘important’ Saliba

The French forward has been speaking to Ouest France about the defender and has revealed the close relationship he has with the defender.

“I have known him since he was very, very young,” Mbappe said. “We were in the same primary school in Bondy. We played football together on our breaks, even though we weren’t in the same year, but he asked to play with us.

“We allowed it because he was already big! Then my dad trained him at AS Bondy. I am three years older than him so I saw him grow up by following his journey and his games closely. Seeing him in the national team, going from Bondy to Les Bleus, made me really happy. I tried to integrate him into the group as quickly as possible.

“This season, he has become a very important player for Arsenal and is among the best centre-backs in the Premier League. He is starting to get minutes with us. It’s now up to him to find his place. For me, he has all the qualities to, in time, be a starter with Les Bleus.”

Saliba’s development

Back in 2022, before Saliba had finally made his breakthrough at Arsenal, the future of the French defender looked uncertain.

Fast forward two seasons later, and the defender has become one of the pillars of the Arsenal team under Mikel Arteta.

Alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, the Frenchman has become a stalwart for an Arsenal team who conceded the least amount of goals last season. Saliba could be set for a vital tournament for Les Blues.