Arsenal star William Saliba is up there with the best defenders in the world.
The Frenchman has been on the books at the Emirates Stadium since 2019, but he only made his senior competitive debut in 2022.
Since then, Saliba has been immense for Arsenal, and many people feel that he is the best centre-back on the planet right now.
The Arsenal man, however, has compared himself to a player who was really underwhelming at Manchester United during his time there – Raphael Varane.
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Arsenal star William Saliba compares himself to Raphael Varane
Varane was among the best defenders in the world in his prime.
The World Cup winner was unbelievable at Real Madrid, and Manchester United thought he would be the same in the Premier League when they signed him.
However, as many, including The Sun, have described him, Varane was a ‘flop’ during his time at Old Trafford. He looked nothing like his previous self.
Despite that, people in the game rate Varane very highly. Even William Saliba appears to be a big fan of the former Real Madrid man.
During a Reddit AMA, Saliba was asked by a fan: “Which former player would you compare yourself to?”
The Arsenal number two replied: “Good question. Maybe when I started to play, some people compared me to Raphaël Varane when I was young. If I can say, maybe one former player, I would say Varane.”
In the same Q&A, Saliba also named Varane and Sergio Ramos as his favourite-ever defensive partnership.
Arsenal almost signed Raphael Varane
Long before Saliba, Varane was the best young centre-back in France.
The defender made a brilliant name for himself at Lens in the Ligue 1, and several top clubs across Europe had him on their radar.
In the summer of 2011, Real Madrid secured Varane’s signature, and the rest, as they say, is history. However, he could easily have been an Arsenal player.
Arsene Wenger tried to sign these players and missed out. If you could bring one to Arsenal today, in their prime, who are you choosing and why?
Big names Arsene Wenger tried to sign for Arsenal and failed:
- Lionel Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic
- N’Golo Kante
- Gareth Bale
- Jamie Vardy
Arsene Wenger confirmed in 2013 that the French centre-half could have been a Gunner.
He said at the time, as per Football Espana: “He was at Lens and we might well have caught him there. You have to ask yourself why this player is not playing for Arsenal.
“I’m happy for him because he’s carving out a role at one of the world’s best clubs. Mourinho has chosen him to step in.”
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