- 20 hours ago
Arsenal icon Cesc Fabregas reveals role in William Saliba signing
Karan Tejwani
- 1 Oct 2022 16:40 BST
- 3 min read
Arsenal icon Cesc Fabregas has revealed how he was asked to scout William Saliba when the defender was playing in France at the same time as the midfielder.
Saliba has had a great start to life at Arsenal having signed in 2019 and spent the last few years out on loan at various Ligue 1 clubs to build up game time and develop himself as a defender.
He has returned in top shape and has proven to be one of this season’s best defenders in the Premier League, showing composure beyond his young age and being a mainstay in the Gunners’ back-line.
His most recent display was another good one against Tottenham, as Arsenal sealed a positive 3-1 win over their North London rivals to continue being at the top of the Premier League table.
Fabregas "scouted" Saliba in France
Now, Fabregas has spoken about how he was asked to watch Saliba when the Spaniard was at Monaco and the defender was still at St. Etienne.
"That was a fantastic complete performance. I’d like to mention the special name, the fact he was so good he made it look easy is William Saliba,” Fabregas said while on punditry duty with BT Sport.
"I’m sorry, but this boy was in France on loan and I was watching him very closely because an ex-Arsenal scout asked me three years ago when we were playing St Etienne in a cup match, I was rested so I was in the stand, he said ‘watch this boy, I want to sign him’.
William Saliba's game by numbers vs. Tottenham:
100% aerial duels won
100% take-ons completed
96% pass accuracy
79 touches
71 passes
11 ball recoveries
6 passes into final ⅓
5 duels won
3 tackles made
3 clearances
0x dribbled past
🎶 Do do do do do do do do 🎶 pic.twitter.com/HgjpmO2OJQ— Squawka (@Squawka) October 1, 2022
"He was 18 or 19 and he was the best player on the pitch so that shows you the potential of this guy, he looks so easy, he could be Arsenal’s centre-back for the next 15 to 20 years."
Saliba was signed by Unai Emery before constantly being sent out on loan – something that confused Arsenal fans, but his return and good form has vindicated those decisions made by Mikel Arteta.
Last season, he was named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season and even earned a call-up to the French national team, with a place on the World Cup squad a real possibility.
