Arsenal's 'unbelievable' addition to starting XI
Suraj Radia
- 18 Aug 2022 17:48 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal have made an 'unbelievable' addition to their squad this summer in a player who could become one of the finest players in his position.
That is the view of former Gunners legend Ian Wright on defender William Saliba, who has impressed after breaking into the Arsenal first-team after three years out on loan.
The 21-year-old put in a man-of-the-match performance on his Premier League debut against Crystal Palace and was compared to a young Rio Ferdinand by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville.
"You watch the way Saliba plays, he looks like he’s in total control of every single thing he’s surveying," Wright said.
“His positional play, his tackling, his passing out of the back, you’re thinking to yourself, you want to see him up against Haaland, because that’s a whole different type of test.
"Looking at him now, and without going over the top, you’re looking at a centre-half who has every single attribute to go on to be unbelievable, and will go on to do brilliant things.
“You can see why in such a short space of time he’s gone on to make the national team squad, because of the composure passing out the back, the timing of the tackles, for a 21-year-old.”
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Mikel Arteta came under heavy criticism from fans after spending £27m on the then 18-year-old in 2019, only to not give him any opportunities and instead loan him out.
However, the Gunners boss has been vindicated by his handling of the youngster, having seen him break into the French national team and win Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year during his spell at Marseille last season.
Saliba is entering the last two years of his deal at the Emirates and the club are determined to extend his contract, amid interest from clubs such as Chelsea.
The player himself is unwilling to commit his future to the club until he is assured that he will be a first-team regular, although early signs suggest that he will have nothing to worry about in that regard.
The Frenchman started for the second consecutive time against Leicester but scored an own-goal in the 4-2 win, however Arsenal fans were unphased by his mistake and continued to cheer and encourage him.
the Emirates absolutely ADORE Saliba🤣🫶 pic.twitter.com/pvJhF3mYYY
— 10 (@ossdeux) August 15, 2022
Wright described the reaction as 'one of the most wonderful things I've seen at a football stadium', saying: "The ovation every time he touched the ball, for a couple of times afterwards, was the kind of thing when I’m playing I’m thinking ‘wow, yeah, I’m loving this’, he did not put a foot wrong in that game."
