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Arsenal won’t have to wait long to benefit from the talents of William Saliba once the teenager finishes his loan with Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne and joins up with his new team-mates.
Instead, former Arsenal centre-back Mikael Silvestre believes Saliba will be an instant hit for the Gunners next season. Silvestre, who played for the north London club from 2008 to 2010, told Bet Pennsylvania (h/t Konstantinos Lianos of the Daily Express): “William Saliba will start from the get-go when he joins Arsenal next season. He’s currently playing for a struggling Saint-Etienne side, but his performances have been good and he’s been consistent.”
Saliba signed with the Gunners last summer in a deal worth £27 million but remained with Saint-Etienne for the 2019/20 season. Even so, Saliba, who turns 19 on March 24, is being counted on to become the marquee central defender Arsenal have lacked since the days when Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell were at their peaks.
Silvestre, who played at left-back, is right to point out how well the fellow Frenchman has been performing since sealing the move. Saint-Etienne sit just above the bottom three in the French top flight, but Saliba’s performances have been a rare bright spot for Claude Puel’s beleaguered team.
Things have been tough in the league, but Saliba has helped Les Verts reach the final of the Coupe de France:
Jeremy Smith @jeremysmith98
Arsenal fans might like this review of William Saliba’s Coupe de France semi-final performance:
Magisterial match, always defended standing up, with strength and precision. And his interception and move forward with the ball led to the 91st minute winner. #AFC https://t.co/9LKeDOkulk
Arsenal need a defender with the 6’4″ Saliba’s height, pace and technique. The Athletic’s James McNicholas described him as “impassive, impassable” on the pitch.
The Gunners defence has been too easily overwhelmed for years, despite signs of improvement on the watch of head coach Mikel Arteta. He took over on December 26, and the Spaniard has overseen seven clean sheets during 15 matches across all competitions.
New personnel has played a key part in the improvement, with Flamengo loanee Pablo Mari catching the eye since arriving in January. Mari worked with Arteta briefly at Manchester City, and Arsenal didn’t concede during the defender’s first two starts.
While Mari has thrived, incumbent members of the squad have also been better. Among them, David Luiz has been a steady presence, forsaking some of the rash decisions usually associated with his game.
Mistake-prone Shkodran Mustafi has also shown a renewed confidence with Arteta at the helm:
Goal @goal
Shkodran Mustafi says he never doubted his ability to shine at Arsenal ?
? “You always get your chances, you always get the possibilities to go again.
“When you start thinking [like that], I think it’s when you retire from football.” https://t.co/DtSVzv3o4y
Sam Dean @SamJDean
On Mustafi, I understand that on a couple of occasions in recent windows he was told by #AFC that they wanted him to leave — only to then be told they needed him to stay. The mixed messages can’t have helped his confidence but Arteta has brought some on-pitch clarity, at least.
Mustafi and Luiz may have played their way into extending their Arsenal careers. Meanwhile, Mari can be signed permanently for £8 million, and he wants to stay in north London, per Goal’s Charles Watts.
These many options means the competition for places will be crowded and intense when Saliba joins the mix. There have also been rumours linking Arteta with West Ham United’s Issa Diop, per Tom Hopkinson of the Sunday Mirror.
If Arsenal do invest in a more established presence, it could be a sign Arteta is willing to let Saliba learn in the role of a squad player during his first season in England. Another alternative would be to switch to a back three, with Saliba and either Mari or another new arrival flanking Luiz.
Either way, Saliba figures to be an important part of Arteta’s attempts to build a back line able to stay solid for years.
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