Ben White has now lifted the lid on what it’s really like to train with Arsenal centre-back William Saliba on a daily basis.
Mikel Arteta will demand absolute commitment and maximum effort from his Arsenal players in training every day.
However, there will always be certain players within a squad who find that the game comes easier to them than others.
William Saliba is seemingly one such player. The French defender has been a revelation for the Gunners since his debut at the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Saliba has proven his world-class credentials in the Premier League and is the lynchpin in the heart of Arsenal’s impressive defensive unit, consistently playing between fellow centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes and right-back Ben White.
Saliba and Gabriel have been dubbed the best centre-back pairing in the top flight of English football.
Ben White reveals William Saliba standard in Arsenal training
As impressed as pundits and Arsenal fans have been by Saliba in recent years, the 23-year-old has made a similarly positive impression on his teammates behind the scenes.
Speaking to former England goalkeeper Ben Foster on Amazon Prime, White discussed Saliba’s quality.
The full-back said: “Saliba’s absolutely incredible, nothing I could say is like a weakness… The way he’s playing, he’s still so young.”
On the subject of the defender’s approach to training, White added: “It’s so weird, because in training you obviously see glimpses of how good he is, but in a game it’s a completely different level and it shows. He can just cruise training, it’s like nobody goes past him anymore. It’s literally like no one even tries because they just know there’s no point.”
The fact that no other Arsenal player, including presumably the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus, and Gabriel Martinelli, even bothers trying to take on Saliba in training demonstrates just how enormously talented the 25-cap France international is.
What Mikel Arteta needs from Saliba this season
The most important thing, as far Arteta will be concerned when it comes to Saliba, is that he is able to remain fit throughout the campaign.
The player sustained an injury towards the end of the 2022/23 campaign, which coincided with the Gunners’ title push collapsing.
In order to protect Saliba’s fitness and freshness, Arteta will have to risk rotating him from time to time.
Saliba played every minute in the Premier League last season, which is not an ideal scenario for anyone. The likes of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior will need to be trusted to step up and afford him a rest from time to time.
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