Who is the best centre-back in the Premier League today?
There are many contenders. Liverpool’s ice-cool defender, Virgil van Dijk. Manchester City’s Treble-winning duo, Ruben Dias and John Stones. Or perhaps an outside shout for Tottenham’s new capture Micky van de Ven and Aston Villa’s underrated Englishman, Ezri Konsa.
For Thierry Henry, it’s pretty simple. It’s Arsenal’s William Saliba.
The Highbury hero doesn’t just think that William Saliba is the best in the Premier League, but he thinks that he’s the best ‘by a mile’, as he told Amazon Prime.
But it wasn’t all plain-sailing for the 22-year-old at Arsenal because he had to go through a few loan spells before making his first-team bow.
Arsenal signed William Saliba for £27 million (Sky Sports) in 2019, but it wasn’t until the start of last season that he made his debut.
Thierry Henry is pretty clear about it all, that was a ‘mistake’ and he should have been in the first-team picture a lot sooner.
William Saliba’s rise at Arsenal
“He is so laid back, thank God he’s not like that on the pitch,” said Henry.
On whether Saliba is the best CB in the PL: “Right now, I think he is, by a mile. The way he can defend a one-v-one. The way he allows Arsenal to play higher and defend the 45-50 yards behind him is second to none.
“His speed, the way he recovers. Look at him and how he turns. He tries to recover the ball when he tackles, not to kick it in the stands. He tries to get it back, which is something important.
“I was working in France when he went on-loan to Marseille and I was actually surprised from where he came from before that we didn’t keep him. I thought he was better than what we had.
“But he went on loan, he came back and he showed everyone that it was a mistake. Now he is one of the best defenders, if not the best defender in the league.”
Loan spells helped William Saliba
It needs to be noted that Saliba was a fresh-faced teenager when he first joined Arsenal and nowhere near the player he is now.
Yes, he was a bit of a wonderkid and a lot was expected of him as he came through the ranks at Saint-Etienne, alongside Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana.
But it could be argued that the loan spells, especially at a pressure club like Marseille, matured Saliba to the level he is now.
Whether you think it was perfect timing or late, one thing is for sure, Arsenal fans are now enjoying Saliba working his magic and helping his team to the top of the Premier League table.
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