Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has claimed that Arsenal star is the “best defender” in the Premier League “by a mile”.
Throughout the last few seasons, he has played a crucial role under Mikel Arteta, earning a prominent position at the core of Arsenal’s defense alongside Brazilian standout Gabriel Magalhaes.
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Their collaboration has resulted in an outstanding defensive partnership, to the extent that Henry is convinced William Saliba has risen to become the best center-back in the entire division.
Speaking on Amazon Prime Sport, the former Arsenal player said: “Right now I think he [Saliba] is [the best], by a mile.
“The way he can defend a 1 v 1, the way he allows Arsenal to stay higher [up the pitch] and defend the 45-50 yards behind him is second to none. His speed, the way he recovers, and when he recovers the ball he doesn’t just kick it into the stands – he tries to get it back [to his teammates] which is important.
“I was working in France when he was on loan to Marseille [in 2021/22] and I was surprised that Arsenal didn’t keep him because I thought he was better than what we had. But he went on loan and he came back and he showed everybody that that was a mistake and now he’s now the best defender in the league.”
At the age of 22, Saliba faced initial challenges in securing a spot at the Emirates Stadium. Despite being acquired from Saint Etienne in 2019, he was initially loaned back to the Ligue 1 side.
Following loan spells at Nice and Marseille, the young defender was eventually given an opportunity by Arteta last season. Since then, he has accumulated over 50 appearances for the North London team.
Henry is not the sole former Arsenal luminary foreseeing significant achievements for Saliba in the future. Ray Parlour shares the belief that Saliba has the potential to surpass every defender globally and emerge as the best in the world.
“William Saliba is currently the best young defender in the world and can go on to be the best defender in the world,” Parlour explained. “He has everything to get better and better.
“I remember Tony Adams when he was young – he might make quite a few mistakes, but he always seemed to rectify them. Saliba’s got his opportunity now and he’s not let anybody down – Arsenal are very lucky to have him and he could become a club legend.”
Saliba is set to play in the upcoming weekend as Arsenal aims for another significant away triumph, building on their recent late victory against Luton. The Gunners will be on the road to Villa Park for a match against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
Despite Emery being at the helm of the Emirates when Saliba was signed, the defender never had the opportunity to play under Emery before the latter was dismissed.
