'Calm down!:' Ex-Arsenal captain claims Saliba 'is not world class'

Suraj Radia

• 20 Oct 2023 15:37 BST
• 4 min read

Former Arsenal captain William Gallas has told fans to ‘calm down’ about William Saliba, insisting that the defender is not among the best in the world yet and naming four Premier League stars who he believes to be better.

Saliba has been instrumental to Arsenal since making his breakthrough into the first team last season, while he was part of the French team that finished runners up in the 2022 World Cup.

The 22-year-old has drawn praise as one of the best young defenders in the world but Gallas, who spent four years with Arsenal between 2006 and 2010, insisted Saliba would need to become a regular with the national team before justifying the hype.

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“Let’s calm down about Saliba!” Gallas told Lord Ping. “That’s a problem with the modern media, and discussion like this isn’t good for the players. Some of them can’t deal with that pressure.

“I like Saliba, and I think he’s a really good player, but as far as I’m concerned, the best defenders in the world have to play in their national teams and be a constant in their starting XI.

“Saliba isn’t a starter for France yet, but when he’s in the line-up and he’s performing as well as he does at club level, then we can discuss him being the world’s best defender. At the moment, he could be one of the best defenders in Europe. There’s a difference!”

The four Premier League defenders better than Saliba, according to Gallas

Saliba was named in the PFA Team of the Year in his first season starting for Arsenal but Gallas namechecked four Premier League defenders who he believed to be ‘truly world class’.

“Thiago Silva comes to mind when thinking about truly world-class defenders,” Gallas said. “He was great in the past, and he’s great now, even at his age.

“I also like Josko Gvardiol, and he’s a great example of a player who adapted to a new system straight away. Look at how he plays now compared to how he played at RB Leipzig – the way he’s adapted is unbelievable and he’s a world-class defender.

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“There’s also Raphael Varane. He may not be at his best at the moment, but what he’s achieved speaks for itself.

“Virgil Van Dijk is great, too, even if he’s not quite been the same since his injury. He was top-class back then, but he’s making some mistakes now. He’s not perfect, but he’s still very good.

“I’d say those are the world-class defenders I can think of.”

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