Jamie Carragher has paid William Saliba the huge compliment by comparing him to Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.
The France international has had a transformative effect on Mikel Arteta’s team since being given the chance at the club since signing for Arsenal three years ago.
Saliba has been forced to bide his time since his £27m transfer from Saint-Etienne but has cemented his place in Arsenal’s defence this campaign after returning from a loan spell at Marseille.
Carragher believes the centre-half has had a huge impact in raising the level of those around him in a way which is similar to the impact Van Dijk had on his Liverpool teammates when he joined in January 2018.
Carragher wrote in his Daily Telegraph column: ‘At Arsenal, the integration of William Saliba and signing of Gabriel Jesus have elevated the team’s performances to a point where they look like a top-four team again.
‘Saliba is a modern centre-back in the Van Dijk mould. He is fast enough to deal with the quickest strikers, aerially strong to cope with target men, and comfortable in possession to ensure his side can play from the back.
‘Yes, these are early days and Saliba has a long way to go to match Van Dijk’s long-term influence at Liverpool, but he has had an immediate impact on how structurally sound a previously flaky defence looks.
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‘There is an echo of Van Dijk’s early months at Anfield. ‘So far, Arsenal are conceding fewer goals and shots per game than last season, and there has been a significant drop off in the number of touches opponents are having in their penalty area.
‘The major tactical difference a player such as Saliba makes is in enabling the team to play higher up the pitch, trusting their pacey, multi-faceted centre-half to react if strikers try to get in behind.’
‘So far, Saliba has been the perfect fit for Arteta, although he will occasionally show inexperience, added Carragher.
‘His misjudgement enabled Marcus Rashford to score on the counter-attack at Old Trafford recently. Arsenal paid a heavy price, losing a game they should have won.
‘Although that is the only blemish this season, it demonstrated where Arsenal must improve to get close to the extraordinary standards set by Liverpool and Manchester City.’
