Oleksander Zinchenko believes that Arsenal’s William Saliba has the potential to become the finest defender in the world if he can work on his communication skills, accept leadership responsibilities, and be willing to push his colleagues.
The Ukrainian claims that the Frenchman was the player who most surprised him during his first few months at Arsenal. Referring to Saliba as Rolls-Royce, he claims the Arsenal No. 2 can do it all while acknowledging that as a centre back, the 22-year-old is on a different level due to his self-assurance when he has the ball on his feet.
“Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce. So good. I love him so much. Absolutely,” the Ukraine international told Ferdinand on Five when asked if Saliba can become the best centre-back in the world.
“I did not know him before I came to Arsenal. When I saw him in the first training session, I said, Who is this guy?’ The first game against Chelsea in pre-season, zero mistakes. When he scored the goal against Bournemouth, I went on my knees because I said, ‘This guy, he can do everything.’
“He can do everything. I played 100 games, I did not score yet, and he did in two games. Defensively, he makes no mistake. He is so calm on the ball. For me, the difference between a world-class centre-back and a good one is when you play with the ball when you can put the ball out and take no risk.
“This guy is on a different level. It seems like there is still a lot of space to improve. He needs communication, to be a leader, to push the others and manage them.”
We cannot emphasise enough how crucial William Saliba is to Arsenal’s defence. Given how unsteady the Arsenal defence was without him over the final two months of the previous season, some would argue that his absence cost Arsenal the league. Fortunately, he is back fit and ready to continue his brilliance in the PL for years to come with the new deal he signed a few weeks ago.
Darren N
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
