William Saliba played every minute of Arsenal’s Premier League season. While some Gooners refer to him as Mr. Reliable, others express anxiety, fearing an excessive reliance on the 22-year-old. These worried Gooners even believe that signing his backup this summer would have helped the team.
But is there really a need to sign a backup for the Frenchman?
According to Charles Watts, Arsenal’s decision-makers believe Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jurrien Timber, and Ben White are capable candidates for the right-sided central defence (and so capable Saliba backups).
On his YouTube channel Watts claimed: “I’ve always been told that between Tomiyasu, White and Timber, they’re seen as the Saliba cover. I’ve been told the left side is more something Arsenal are going to look into if they can. If a defender comes, it’ll be a left-sided one.”
That said, I think these comments ease the anxiety about the dilemma Arsenal would have been in without Saliba. The thought of missing him doesn’t sit well with many Gooners, given that the last time he was unavailable for the Gunners, they struggled to sustain the title race.
Aside from their struggles at left back last season, Watts’ comments have further elucidated their links to players such as Ajax’s Jorrel Hato and Fenerbahce’s Ferdi Kadioglu, who could potentially aid them on the left side. Ultimately, the decision-makers at the club should also understand why there is a push to sign Italy’s Euros standout, Ricardo Calafiori.
Ultimately, as important as Saliba has become to this Arsenal club, there is comfort in knowing that he has a backup. Perhaps Arteta now needs to be brave and try out these alternatives at RCB even when Saliba is fit so that he can have enough rest to be fresh for big games.
Darren N
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We need a 30 year old plus quality defender as a back up. As they won’t mind not playing so many games.
We need to check players with good stats.
We need to ask the question “Does he have good stats”, as everyone seems to ignore players stats these days.
For example using a different subject.
Over the last 3 games Folden has had the worst STATs, yet you are all blind to it.
Saka is a natural goal contributer, with 66% goal contribution to games played so far in this competition. His goal contribution percentage is so far higher than any other England player. Overall he is England’s second highest goal scorer too. He should have had a goal yesterday, if it wasn’t for poor positioning by Foden causing Saka’s goal to be disallowed, and yet you all blame Saka instead of Foden for the draw. Blind leading the blind comes to mind.
Foden STATs on the other hand shows he has lost the ball more than any other England player and has been a poor performer with a consistent rating of a poor 6 or less in each of England’s games since the start of this competition.
Yet it is the media and pundits like Neville who thinks Saka (our highest goal contributers and second highest scorer) that should be dropped over our worst consistent poor performance rated Foden.
It’s like the blind leading the blind and as long as Southgate continues with his stubborn selection of Foden and wrongfully decides to drop Saka, then England will be doomed to failure from the first knockout stage.
The Stats don’t lie and all are blind to ignore the obvious jinks in the team being Foden, and being a major cause to England’s bad form ever since the inclusion of Foden and the stats being ignored.
Even the opposition will tell you they have to double mark Saka with two defenders more than any other England player because they see him as England’s greatest attacking threat.
The other opposition countries will be laughing if we drop Saka and keep Foden considering the STATs being Saka has the best goal contribution to Fodens STATs making him the worst England player!