The future looks bright for Arsenal ahead of William Saliba’s arrival next summer.
Arsenal-owned William Saliba made headlines on Sunday night.
The French defender, who stands at 6’3, posted a brilliant performance in Saint Etienne’s 1-0 win over Lyon in Ligue 1, expertly shackling in-form hitman Moussa Dembele.
For an 18-year-old kid, the future looks so bright for him in football – but it also looks bright for Arsenal and, specifically, their back four.
Saliba, who re-signed for the French club on loan directly after his £27 million transfer to the Gunners [The Mirror], will arrive in North London next summer and with the players that Unai Emery already has, Arsenal could be looking at their best defence for many, many years.
Kieran Tierney also joined the English giants this past summer in a £25 million deal, the Scot being one of the most exciting left-backs in Europe.
The prospect of those two playing alongside Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding is so very exciting for the Premier League side.
Even under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s defence had been horrendous for a long time, culminating in them failing to win a league title since 2004.
A quartet of Bellerin, Saliba, Holding and Tierney on their own won’t change that, but it does look like Emery has the building blocks for something special.
Further forward in midfield, the Spanish manager has 19-year-old Mateo Guendouzi, widely praised for his performances this season. On each wing, there’s teenager Bukayo Saka and £72 million man Nicolas Pepe.
Striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who turns 31 next summer, might not be as electric over the coming years for Arsenal, but on the whole Emery has a lot of young and spectacular players on the books and it could be a very exciting few years.
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