This has been a good season for some Arsenal loanees and one of them is William Saliba.
The Frenchman is yet to play for the Gunners, but he has been in stunning form for his Ligue 1 club, Olympique Marseille.
He is spending this season there on loan and it is expected that he will be a part of Mikel Arteta’s plans for next season.
His fine form for the French club has now been rewarded after Football Observatory named him in their Ligue 1 Team of the season so far.
The team was comprised of top players like Dimitri Payet and Kylian Mbappe. They paired Saliba in a three-man defence alongside Nayef Aguerd and Presnel Kimpembe.
Just Arsenal Opinion
This has been a fine season for Saliba and this recognition is deserved for the 20-year-old.
His experience facing the likes of Kylian Mbappe should help him become a top player at Arsenal next season.
The Gunners have a good defensive partnership in Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes, but Saliba would be a solid option to have on the bench.
If he does well enough in training, he could displace one of the established duos in the team.
I’m really excited to see what Saliba can do next season at Arsenal and see him more than a solid option off the bench.
While I don’t doubt he is good enough to play for Arsenal now, I also don’t doubt that he will be in a better position to be a difference maker after being a regular starter for a few years rather then a part-timer.
The only thing that worries me is whether he sees these loans as a sleight or as part of his development. Guess we will find out soon.
That’s how I read it too Siamois. Positive sign.
With a central pairing of Gabriel and White already, my personal thoughts are how (and where) will Saliba be utilised? Any thoughts?
City, Liverpool and Chelsea that dominate the league all have 2 solide competitors per post and do rotate them especially since they have Europe. In addition there are injuries such as happened the other day to Tomiyasu.
Saliba is better than White….I don’t give 2 fks if White is English and was expensive he can sit bench or move to DM.
Tired of this sentiment at Arsenal, best player plays.
And if Saliba is somehow a flop when he comes back, then White can slot straight back in.
Why do you expect him to be a flop? He is proving himself right now at Marseille ans is still developing
If he has a future at Arsenal why was the No. 4 squad taken away from him and given to Benjamin White?
But then again Anthony Martial lost his no. 9 squad no. to Zlatan Ibrahimovich when he signed for Man Utd but Zlatan’s gone and Martial’s still at the club.
But then again this is Arsenal and they’re Man Utd 🤷♂️.
I guess with the possibility of European football next season squad depth will be important especially if we are to be competitive on all fronts. And not just that squad depth, but quality squad depth.
Let’s remember that Man City have Dias, Laporte, Stones and Ake as their CBs. Crazy huh. With Gabriel, White, Saliba and a new young hungry LCB to compete with (not provide cover) Gabriel, we could have our very own fantastic four.
SALIBA comments in his latest interview were pretty positive and encouraging .he talked about how his experience at ARSENAL brought him back to earth ,he was honest enough to say that after being signed ,he was already asking himself questions like,who will i be playing with ,which position… only to realise that you can be a 30M player and be discarded .he also said that not playing for 6 months at ARSENAL ,made him realised how quickly things can change in football ,and contrary to what many people believe/think, he is not using it as a revenge or i will show you to MA/ARSENAL but as a motivation ,to train and play as if it were his last game.to me ,it sounds like the boy’s had time to think things through no??
Nah he’s definitely no good enough for the EPL, it’s too rough and fast for him.
Have you tried him to know he’s not good enough?
Saliba can either play centre back or defensive mid, similar to White and he qualifies as home grown when he comes back next season.
He was a bit rash in tackles and likely to concede fouls, even penalties. That was the reason given for spending 50M on White and banishing Saliba. Did anyone here watch the game against Leeds….and the penalty conceded by the green, Ben White?
Captain material for sure!