Arsenal told they have ‘one of the best’ players in the Prem thanks to Mikel Arteta

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Arsenal star William Saliba has quickly developed into one of Europe’s best players since joining Mikel Arteta’s squad in 2022.

Saliba signed for Arsenal in 2019, but found himself loaned out on several occasions, and there were even some question marks over whether he had a long-term future under Arteta, given that he had joined the club when Unai Emery was in charge.

However, after an outstanding campaign on loan at Olympique Marseille, Saliba finally joined the Arsenal squad at the start of last season, and his long-awaited Premier League debut came against Crystal Palace, in a game where he was awarded the player of the match award.

Since then, he has consistently been one of Arsenal’s best players, and was awarded with a bumper new contract in the summer window.

Mikel Arteta’s influence on William Saliba

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Dean Jones highlighted how Saliba has now become one of the best players in his position, and pointed out the role Arteta has played in his development.

“Saliba has proven himself to be one of the best defenders in this division. I think that Arteta will take some credit for that for sure, having had the faith in him, because he’s young, coming into the Premier League and having that naivety,” he stated.

“You have to put complete trust, you have to accept there’ll be mistakes and Arteta is willing to do that.

“But Saliba himself for growing as quickly as he can has been really impressive.”

What makes William Saliba so special?

Saliba is already arguably one of the best centre-backs Arsenal have had in recent years, and is a far cry from the likes of Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

His calmness and composure at the back are remarkably good, particularly for a 22-year-old defender, and he has already excelled at the top end of the Premier League and the Champions League.

Arsenal have been outstanding defensively this season, and Saliba has been a huge part of this, with The Gunners leading the way for their ability to keep away clean sheets.

Saliba has a remarkably high win percentage at Arsenal, and a long-term injury he picked up in March last year completely derailed what was otherwise a strong title challenge.

The France international is already one of Arsenal’s most important players, and keeping him fit will be crucial for Arteta this season as he aims to challenge Manchester City for the title again.