Date: 30th September 2022 at 9:00am
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Former Arsenal Captain William Gallas believes the lack of an experienced partner at the heart of the Gunners’ defence could affect William Saliba’s development.

THE LOWDOWN: DELIGHTFUL START

Saliba has enjoyed a delightful start to his Arsenal career, following his return to the club after a loan spell at Marseille. The 21-year-old, Ligue 1’s young player of the year, has been a mainstay of Arsenal’s backline since the season began.

The Frenchman has received praise for his performances in the Arsenal shirt and many see him as someone who would have a lot of impact in the league in years to come.

Apart from his great defensive actions, Saliba already has two goals to his name and has formed an excellent partnership with Gabriel Magalhaes at centre-back.

However, a former defender at the Emirates has now disclosed that the lack of quality experience on the part of the Brazilian could limit the chances of Saliba becoming world-class.

THE LATEST: MISSING PIECE

Former defender William Gallas believes that partnering Saliba with another young defender like Gabriel Magalhaes could hinder him from progressing to become a world-class centre-back.

Gallas, who wore the colours of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham, revealed that legendary defenders such as John Terry spent their early years being tutored by the best because they played alongside them and Saliba may require that to attain greatness.

The former Arsenal captain feels that in order for Saliba to reach his full potential, he needs to learn from a seasoned defender – not Gabriel who is just 24.

“William Saliba has the same style as Rio Ferdinand,” Gallas told Genting Casino. “When you see Saliba and how he plays, and when you compare with Rio when he was young, I think they are similar.

“But it’s always the same problem, who is going to be next to you to learn? He’s still young and at this age you need to learn and you need to have the right players next to you. That’s why I said it’s very important when you play centre-back, you need to have experienced players you can learn from.

“At the moment Saliba doesn’t have anyone. When I talk about experienced players, I’m talking about top-class defenders. That’s why I’m a little bit worried for him. If he wants to go to another level he needs to be next to top-class defenders.”

“If we speak about John Terry, who was next to him? Marcel Desailly. Rio Ferdinand? He was next to Vidic, or I’m not sure who before that. All the defenders, they learned from someone. Nesta, he was next to Maldini,” he added.

THE VERDICT: EXPERIENCE COMES THROUGH LEARNING

Saliba might require an experienced partner but it is not compulsory for Arsenal to ditch a working partnership because of that. Both Gabriel and Saliba can complement each other, grow, learn and become a finished piece in years to come.

 

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