Former France under-18 boss Jean-Luc Vannuchi spoke to the Telegraph about William Saliba ahead of his first season with Arsenal.
Saliba joined the Gunners last summer for £27 million (Sky); a massive amount for a teenager who hadn’t at that point played a full season with the senior squad.
The teenager has drawn comparisons with a number of top-quality centre-halves in the world. But his former coach has narrowed down the comparisons to just two world-class Champions League-winning defenders.
Vannuchi said: “My first impression was that this was the biggest man of his generation. (He is) A mix of the two styles – with Varane because of his speed and power, and with Van Dijk it is the interceptions, the positioning on the pitch.
“A technical and physical leader. He looked like a man. The difference between him and the other players was massive. When he took the ball and ran into midfield, no one could stop him. He was like a monster compared to other players of the same age.”
The comparisons with Varane have been floating around for a long time thanks to his position and nationality. However, similarities with van Dijk are worth noting.
The Liverpool defender has completely changed the fortunes of his club since signing for them. Saliba, of course, is nowhere near ready to have the same impact at Arsenal, but he has someone to base his game around.
The Frenchman conceded just two fouls all of last season. His positioning, interceptions and clean tackling are slightly similar to van Dijk and, with the right guidance, he could well go on to become as good a defender as the Liverpool man in the future.
Mikel Arteta has to be careful with Saliba next season. The Frenchman, still only 19, should not be pushed into the deep end from the start. He should be eased into the first-team next to an experienced head like David Luiz, who the report claims was offered a new deal in order to help guide the former St. Etienne man.
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