Why Saliba is so important to Arsenalpublished at 16:13 BST
16:13 BST
Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist
William Saliba’s
centre-back partnership with Gabriel has developed into one of the most
formidable in the Premier League. His ability on the ball and reading
of the game makes him the perfect foil for the more physically dominant
Brazilian.
Saliba has
won possession more often than any Arsenal player in the Premier League
since his debut in 2022, but he also plays a crucial role in build-up
play. He has completed more passes than any of his team-mates over the
past three years and is second only to Martin Odegaard when it comes to
carrying the ball forward.
The 24-year-old also ranks second in terms of clearances and aerial duels won, with those metrics both led by Gabriel.
Saliba
was sorely missed during the during the final two months of the 2022-23
season, with Arsenal’s title chances disappearing while he recovered
from a back issue, but he has sat out only four top-flight matches
since.
The summer
signings of Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie mean the Gunners are
now well stocked in central defence, but securing Saliba’s long-term
future is nonetheless a crucial bit of business.