Arsene Wenger currently possesses one of the strongest squads in European football, but Savage believes there’s not a ‘world class’ player among them.
Petr Cech, Aaron Ramsey, Hector Bellerin, Santi Cazorla, Granit Xhaka and Laurent Koscielny may form the spine of an Arsenal side with genuine title ambitions, but Robbie Savage has told The Mirror that none of them fall into the bracket of ‘world class’.
The specifications required to meet such a term have been debated heavily in recent weeks after Alan Shearer claimed on Match of the Day that Manchester City phenomenon Sergio Aguero is the only player in the Premier League currently worthy of ‘world class’ status.
Such a judgement appears harsh on Arsenal duo Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, who’s match changing contributions in crucial encounters mean they are likely to spearhead Arsenal’s charge for a first Premier League title since 2004, but Savage believes many of their team-mates at the Emirates do not warrant a place in such esteemed company.
“Let’s get real,” Savage wrote in The Mirror. “Cech? Yes, he probably was world-class once, but not anymore.
Bellerin? Huge potential, but he’s only won the FA Cup so far. Ramsey? Good player, not world class. Cazorla? Same again.
“Sanchez? He’s borderline world-class. Koscielny? Gave away the penalty against Tottenham. Xhaka? Nope, not having that.”
The age-old discussion about what constitutes a world class footballer are likely to emerge once more, but it’s fair to say the term has become increasingly overused, almost hyperbolic.
Surely a ‘world class’ player is one who can change a game in an instant, not just in bread-and-butter league fixtures but title deciders and crunch European clashes on a season-after-season basis.
By that ruling, few in the Premier League come close to matching Aguero in terms of quality or consistency.
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